Italian Grand Prix 2026 Underdog Fantasy Picks
The Formula 1 season heads to Monza, Italy for Round 13 of its 2026 season. This race is set for 53 laps around the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. At just over three miles (5.793km), this course features 11 corners. Drivers have raced here since 1922 at the Temple of Speed. Formula 1 added itself to the lineage during its 1950 inaugural season. These Italian Grand Prix 2026 Underdog Fantasy Picks center around two of the hottest drivers in the paddock.
This week’s picks will focus on two drivers who are battling for the driver’s championship. One has a healthy, but not insurmountable lead. The other is tied for second with his former teammate and is looking to drive his way to an eighth world championship by beating his former team.
To play Underdog Fantasy, all you need to do is choose whether a driver will finish better than or worse than their projected finishing positions. It’s as simple as that. The more selections you make, the higher your multiplier will get, increasing the amount of money you stand to win.
Italian Grand Prix 2026 Underdog Fantasy Picks
Kimi Antonelli Better than 4.5 (1.69x)
The stars have aligned this season for Mercedes and especially so for Antonelli in his second year with the team. The young phenom already has six wins this season and has a 183 point lead in the driver’s championship over his teammate George Russell and former Mercedes star turned Ferrari principle Lewis Hamilton. More impressive is the fact that Kimi has racked up 10 podium finishes in 12 grand prix. He’s only finished worse than 3rd place in two races this year.
Kimi Antonelli currently holds a 59-point lead in the drivers’ championship standings and has been dubbed, ‘Il Predestinato’ or ‘The Predestined.’
WATCH: https://t.co/vtvt09Tu9k pic.twitter.com/hfwUQ3OR3b
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 1, 2026
This week, Antonelli gets to race in his home grand prix surrounded by a country full of fans. Last season at Monza, the young Italian ended his day in 9th place after rolling off the grid from the 6th position. Kimi will be starting from the back of the grid due to an engine change which will make the job tougher. However, expect him to be able to find his way back through the field and standing firmly on the podium at the end of the race again this week.
Lewis Hamilton Better than 4.5 (1.66x)
Last season was filled with frustration for Lewis Hamilton as he made the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari. The former champion did not log a single podium finish on the year. What’s worse, he suffered through his second worst season in terms of average finish (8.5) of his career. Something has flipped on this year though, as Hamilton has reemerged as one of the best drivers in the sport. The British star has five podium finishes through 12 races. He has an average finish of 3.8 this year and has only finished 5th place or worse four times.
Lewis Hamilton reflecting on his P4 finish at the Dutch Grand Prix 🗣️🔴 pic.twitter.com/GZvNJstbdJ
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 26, 2026
It’s been a while since Hamilton has won on this track or even sniffed a podium finish. However, he has taken home the checkered flag 5 times in 19 career starts at Monza and has finished his day standing on the podium eight times. With the 41 year old this close to what could be his last real chance at a championship, expect Hamilton to keep pushing hard this week and the rest of the season.
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