© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Round 13 of the FIA Formula One World Championship takes us back to the home nation of the Faenza VCARB factory: Italy. That’s right, we’re here to take you through the FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2026: VCARB Edition.
Before we hit the track, it only seems fair that we get you up to speed with the legacy of the Italian Grand Prix, since it’s been part of the Formula One World Championship calendar since its inception in 1950 (the only other Grand Prix to feature on every calendar is the British Grand Prix). Giuseppe Farina won the first-ever Italian Grand Prix and went on to win the first-ever F1 World Championship that same year. Monza also holds the record for the shortest-ever Grand Prix, with the 2023 race taking just 73 minutes.
Yuki Getting Ready To Head Out© Getty Images / Red Bull Content PoolAnd here we are, the VCARB admin, standing on some truly holy ground, about to share some top-tier memes and ragebait. Isn’t life so bizarre?
With our brief history lesson out of the way, let’s dive into this weekend’s Italian antics. Just like in Zandvoort, we were joined by Mr Yuki Tsunoda alongside Arvid, while Liam once again raced for Oracle Red Bull Racing. Thankfully, Yuki is well-versed in our social filming and needed no further training, jumping straight into the VCARB content you’ve come to expect (we hate to waste their time). On the other side of the garage, Arvid was weighing up swapping his VCARB 03 for something a bit more… laid-back… And also, Liam won’t leave us alone???? He’s obsessed.
Just like every weekend, we kicked things off with our Creator Platform race poster, courtesy of the wonderful @cacoodesign. As always, if you want to be involved with race weekend opportunities, poster competitions and music events, get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
The same can be said for when we first hit the track on Friday. In the first two Practice sessions of the weekend, Arvid was hot on the heels of the top six drivers and Yuki was comfortably in the top ten as he acclimatised to the VCARB 03.
Since it’s our home GP, we had a wholesome VCARB family dinner, featuring Yuki’s very long and questionable fork, before heading into Saturday’s Qualifying action. Arvid stormed through Q1 and Q2 to reach Q3, his sixth consecutive visit, to line up in P10 for Sunday’s Grand Prix, just over a second off the pole position time from Pierre Gasly’s Alpine. Yuki unfortunately didn’t make it out of Q1 and, after other drivers took grid penalties, would start from P15. Similarly, Arvid, who felt positive going into Sunday, was promoted to P9 ahead of the Grand Prix.
Right then, Practice, Quali and social filming out of the way, let’s get stuck into the Race, shall we?
Arvid Hitting That Apex© Getty Images / Red Bull Content PoolActually, quick nostalgia bait moment, if you will. 4,746 days later, it was time for young Arvid to finally race an F1 car at Monza. Who’s cutting onions??
Medium tyres for Arvid and Hard tyres for Yuki ahead of 53 laps around the Temple of Speed. It’s a track where you can get away with one pit stop, so track position and managing gaps to competitors were crucial. After the first lap alone, Arvid had made up a position and was laying down the gauntlet. A Safety Car and a Red Flag brought things to a halt on Lap 3 after Charles Leclerc crashed at Parabolica while chasing down Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. Thankfully, Charles was okay, and the race got underway again once the tyre wall was repaired.
Since there was a Red Flag, we were able to change tyres on both cars without losing track position, so Arvid restarted on Hards and Yuki switched to Mediums, with both sets expected to last until the chequered flag. The race resumed on Lap 6, and by Lap 7, Yuki had made it up into the points-scoring positions. Similarly, Arvid was running in P6 until losing out to Norris and Antonelli. But clearly, the VCARB 03 had some serious pace (and some seriously quick drivers too). Yuki made up another position, this time on Bearman’s Haas, so by Lap 17, Arvid and Yuki were P8 and P9.
Our boys circulated close to each other for most of the race, until on Lap 41, Colapinto made a move on Yuki to secure P9, separating our cars for the first time in over 20 laps. Such was the great pace of Arvid and Yuki that they crossed the finish line in P8 and P10, marking the first double-points finish for this variation of mighty VCARB duo. Incredible stuff, especially for Yuki, who charged through from P17 in only his second Grand Prix in this era of machinery. A great weekend for the pair of them.
Hear From The Drivers
Arvid #41
Yuki #22
Hey, you! Don’t be going anywhere just yet. We’re back in a matter of days for Round 14 of the season at the all-new Madring Circuit. Stick around and discover the city of Madrid with us as we take you through the FORMULA 1 TAG HEUER GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2026 from 11-13 September.
For now, arrivederci. But soon, hola.
Sunset In Monza© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
