Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza: the biggest surprise of the year?

Ahead of the historic Italian Grand Prix, everyone is talking about whether Ferrari, with its more powerful engine, will now be on a par with Mercedes in terms of performance, or whether Lando Norris will even manage a third consecutive victory for McLaren, following wins in Hungary and the Netherlands.

There is less talk of Max Verstappen ahead of the historic World Championship race in northern Italy, and former Grand Prix driver Christijan Albers believes this is a mistake.

Albers, now 47, who competed in the top flight from 2005 to 2007, says in a podcast for De Telegraaf: “Basically, it’s almost impossible to predict how the Italian Grand Prix weekend will pan out.”

Christijan Albers in Monaco mit Teamchef Toto Wolff

Foto: XPB

“But for me, it’s clear that Red Bull Racing can be in the mix there with Max. They’re incredibly strong on tracks with low downforce.”

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In fact, Max was only beaten by Kimi Antonelli at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Albers noticed this too: “Max’s car is fast on the straights, so I reckon they’ll be competitive in Italy.”

“I believe Max could spring one of the big surprises of the 2026 season at Monza. After that, it’ll be tougher for Verstappen; in my view, it’ll likely boil down to a duel between Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes and Lando Norris in the McLaren.”

“In my view, Max also stands a good chance at Monza because Antonelli has to serve his grid penalty for fitting new engine components.”