Italian GP: Ferrari's power or Mercedes persistence to triumph?

Ferrari head into their home Italian GP as favourites for a first Monza win since 2010 after Charles Leclerc's impressive victory in Belgium.

However, encouraged by their race-day performance at similarly high-speed Spa last Sunday, Mercedes are not ruling out extending their 100 per cent winning run at F1's Temple of Speed since the dawn of the hybrid engine in 2014.

After ending their 15-race victory drought, Ferrari are aiming to secure back-to-back F1 wins for the first time since the start of last season - on the weekend they are celebrating the Scuderia's 90th anniversary.

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Ferrari are also introducing their latest engine upgrade onto Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel's cars for this weekend.

"The best way to prepare for Monza would have been to win races before not only Spa. But as Monza is one of the most power sensitive circuits and our package is competitive at Spa, we may expect to be competitive in Monza as well, no doubt," said team boss Mattia Binotto.

"There are some low downforce packages, some have been raced in Spa and the others prepared for Monza, so there's a question mark. But our car is certainly competitive on the straights."

It's that prodigious straight-line performance which Mercedes are most concerned about heading onto F1's fastest circuit.

Lewis Hamilton said after Sunday's race at Spa: "It's all straights, so Ferrari… it's going to be a happy weekend for Ferrari, most likely in that respect.

"I mean, this weekend [at Spa], I think just in qualifying we're losing over a second a lap. So, there's not much me and Valtteri can do in that instance and there's not a lot of corners there to catch that up.

"So, it'll be interesting. In the next few days we've got to make some drastic improvements to our straight speed, somehow. I don't know if that's possible - but if anyone can do it, it's our team."

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But can Mercedes repeat 2018's turnaround?
Having gone eight attempts and counting without a success at home, with chief rivals Mercedes winning on F1's last five visits, Ferrari are desperate to win the Italian GP for a record-extending 20th to give their passionate 'Tifosi' fans cause for mass celebration.

As Vettel, yet to win for Ferrari at Monza in four attempts, remarked: "I think we got closer and closer in the past years, but we were missing that final step."

The lack of a 'final step' was no more evident than at Monza last year.

Locking out the front row, polesitter Kimi Raikkonen and Vettel were still beaten by Hamilton to the race victory. Vettel spun at the second chicane after being overtaken by Hamilton, while Raikkonen was later overtaken by the Mercedes driver.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says they will not suddenly prove a match for Ferrari's outright power, but does suspect the longer race distance might again provide some opportunities after Hamilton came close to overhauling Leclerc at Spa.

"I don't think we can find 15kph in the next five days!" said Wolff. "[With] no DRS. But it is what is, no complaint.

"We have just got to prepare the best possible for Monza and know that it's not a track that will suit us and will favour Ferrari, but we've got to do the best possible job.

"On the Sunday we are looking much closer, even on the high-power circuits, so we I still think we have to give it all we have to hopefully win the race in Monza."

Valtteri Bottas, who finished third last year, added: "Last year they were quick as well but we managed to make their life pretty difficult. I think that's where we got booed on the podium and everything.

"We try to do the same again."

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