Formula 1 arrived this weekend at the Monza circuit, the venue for the Italian GP, one of the most traditional on the calendar, with a visibly fiercer battle between the top three teams in the Constructors' Championship. Mercedes still leads comfortably, accumulating 425 points, but sees Ferrari and McLaren getting closer with each round.
In the last race before the European summer break, at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort, Lando Norris secured his second consecutive victory of the season, demonstrating that McLaren is in full recovery and increasingly competitive in the fight for the top of the championship.
Young Kimi Antonelli, who just turned 20, surged as the favorite for the drivers' world title after winning five of the twelve races held so far. Mercedes dominated the first half of the season, winning six consecutive races at the start of the championship.
Although the German team still holds eight of the twelve total victories of the season, the seemingly unattainable superiority scenario that appeared at the beginning of the year is giving way to a more balanced contest, with Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren increasingly close in the rearview mirror.
