Formula One kicked off in big style after the summer break hiatus - but perhaps not in the way we might have imagined. Hamilton did some serious damage control in Belgium to stay in the lead of the championship but Rosberg closed the gap. Magnussen suffered a huge crash, whilst Max Verstappen turned heads every which way, and Pirelli came under fire yet again. Just one short week later and we're back racing at the fast and furious Monza, where Ferrari will be cheered to the bitter end by the passionate fans flooding the track. But what else do we have in store?

Event schedule

As mentioned, Hamilton's rise to the podium from a back-of-the-grid start in Spa allowed him to remain in control of the championship, but Rosberg's win meant he closed the gap. It's close at the top and this weekend could easily turn the tables for either of them. Hamilton's engine woes are mostly behind him, although there is the spectre of future upgrades going only Rosberg's way... watch this space.

Kevin Magnussen has cleared all medical checks after his huge crash in Belgium, whilst Felipe Massa spent the day confirming his retirement from Formula One at the end of the season. On the other end of the scale, the youngsters are still going strong - Max Verstappen is unapologetic after raising the ire of several drivers last week, and Esteban Ocon goes into his second race weekend as an official F1 driver.

The battle between Force India and Williams swung firmly in the direction of the Silverstone based team in Spa, but there's a whole new opportunity for the two to face off this weekend in Spa. We're getting to the business end of the season now, where every decision is absolutely crucial.

Support racing for this event includes GP2 Series, GP3 Series and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

Expected conditions

Belgium proved to be hotter than anyone expected, and the higher temperatures look set to continue this weekend, average air temperature hovering around the thirties. Meanwhile, the clouds could move in earlier in the weekend, and the sun could disappear behind them on race day, but as usual, with European weather, predictions have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Circuit history

The Monza track is notorious for its high speed and lack of significant cornering, making it a fearsome challenge for all the drivers. There are six braking zones which means there is less opportunity for overtaking in those areas, and the tyres will likely hold up better as well, although there are some tricky kerbs to watch out for.

Monza also features three chicanes to break up the momentum of the track, so it's a mix of low-downforce but intricate cornering that is required to get the best out of the high-speed lap.

The Italian Grand Prix has been on the calendar since the championship's inception in 1950, and Monza has hosted all but one of the events. As you can imagine, Ferrari has the most success around the track, with 19 pole positions and 18 race victories. Sebastian Vettel, now a Ferrari driver but then a Toro Rosso racer, took his first victory in 2008 at Monza, with that event holding the record for featuring the youngest podium ever.

Tyre compounds

The tyres provided by Pirelli are under intense scrutiny again, as the Italian manufacturer tried out some new compounds to fix the problems they've been having with kerbs and pressures, but the teams aren't so keen on taking on the new rubber at this crucial point in the season.

This weekend, we have the white, yellow and red tyres on offer once again - the mediums, softs and supersofts. Teams have leaned towards the supersofts, with Haas having nine sets for each driver. Hülkenberg has eight of the red stripes, and only two of the yellows. At the other end of hte scale, Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, Magnussen and Grosjean have opted for just one set of mediums.

Selected tyre sets per driver

Lewis Hamilton	1	5	7
Nico Rosberg	2	4	7
Sebastian Vettel	1	5	7
Kimi Räikkönen	2	4	7
Valtteri Bottas	1	5	7
Felipe Massa	2	4	7
Daniel Ricciardo	2	5	6
Max Verstappen	2	5	6
Nico Hülkenberg	3	2	8
Sergio Pérez	3	3	7
Kevin Magnussen	1	5	7
Jolyon Palmer	2	4	7
Daniil Kvyat	2	4	7
Carlos Sainz	2	4	7
Marcus Ericsson	2	5	6
Felipe Nasr	2	5	6
Fernando Alonso	2	4	7
Jenson Button	2	4	7
Pascal Wehrlein	2	4	7
Esteban Ocon	2	4	7
Romain Grosjean	1	3	9
Esteban Gutiérrez	2	2	9

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.