Monza Faces Extreme Heat This Weekend at Italian Grand Prix

Monza is braced for a different kind of pressure this weekend – the heat.

The Italian Grand Prix has been officially classified as a “heat-hazard” event, with temperatures around the historic Monza circuit forecast to climb beyond 31C during Sunday’s race. It’s not just a hot weekend. It’s hot enough for Formula 1 to trigger its formal extreme-heat protocols.

Ambient temperatures in the region north-east of Milan are expected to sit in the mid-30s throughout the event. On Wednesday afternoon, the mercury hit 36C near Milan’s Linate airport, underlining why the warning has been issued.

That ruling carries real consequences for how the drivers suit up. They are now permitted to run cooling systems under their fireproof racewear – a network of pipes carrying chilled liquid, such as glycol, through a specially designed top worn beneath their overalls. It’s a rare piece of comfort in a cockpit that can feel like a furnace even on a mild day.

There is a trade-off, though, and it cuts straight to performance. The cooling kit remains optional, but anyone who decides to tough it out without the system must bolt 5kg of ballast onto the car. In a sport where teams fight over grams, that’s a heavy price to pay for going without.

So as Monza bakes under the lingering summer heatwave, the choice is stark: carry the cooling, or carry the weight.