Overview

• Cadillac confirmed Herta, 25, as test driver for its 2026 F1 entry and reiterated Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as its race lineup on multi‑year deals.
• Herta is five points short of the 40 needed for an FIA super‑licence, with one point set to expire, and Cadillac says details of his racing programme will follow; reporting points to Formula 2 or additional FP1 mileage as possible routes.
• McLaren will run academy driver Alex Dunne in Friday practice at Monza, with championship leader Oscar Piastri ceding FP1 to meet the FIA rookie‑session mandate.
• Piastri leads teammate Lando Norris by 34 points after Zandvoort, while Max Verstappen acknowledges McLaren’s current pace advantage heading into the Italian Grand Prix.
• Lewis Hamilton carries a five‑place grid penalty to Monza for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags at Zandvoort, compounding a Ferrari season without a podium so far.