The 2023 Italian Grand Prix looks set to be the first dry Formula 1 weekend since Azerbaijan, with a 0% chance of rain forecast for Sunday at Monza.
Previous forecasts had shown a much higher chance of rain at some point over the weekend, with 40% given on all three days by various outlets.
But that seems to have evaporated on a scorching few days north of Milan, a trend that’s set to continue to raceday.
That means Carlos Sainz will need to beat Verstappen in a straight fight if he’s to take just Ferrari‘s second home win since 2010, after the Spaniard just pipped the championship leader to pole position.
It’s only the second time Verstappen has been bested in qualifying since the Miami GP in early May, but Sainz need only watch Hamilton‘s race from pole in Hungary to see the battle’s only half done.
And it’s not just Verstappen he needs to watch out for – the podium battles comprises at least four teams after George Russell and Alex Albon qualified in the top six too.
Monza weather
For once, there’s not too much to analyse here. It’s set to be still, sunny and scorching in Monza, with temperatures reaching up to 30 degrees Celsius with little-to-no cloud cover predicted.
It’ll certainly provide a test of whether Ferrari have got on top of their tyre degradation issues earlier in the season, after Sainz complained he had to manage his tyres for the whole race starting from the front row in Spain.
However, they do seem to have made good steps in that regard and have a pretty big reward waiting if they can keep it all together.
Wind speed isn’t likely to get anywhere close to double-figures either, which will be a welcome break for drivers after such a blustery Dutch GP just a week ago.
