During Formula 1 media day in Monza, energy management dominated driver conversations. Following high-energy circuits in Budapest and Zandvoort, this weekend exposes current regulation weaknesses. Top speeds at the Temple of Speed will be significantly lower, with Oscar Piastri noting McLaren simulations showed lower speeds than Hungary. The extremely low harvesting limit of five megajoules aims to limit super clipping but causes drivers to run out of MGU-K power early on straights, leading to downshifting on long straights.

Verstappen, who predicted this scenario in 2023, mentally accepted the painful weekend ahead. 'It's going to be pretty painful,' said the four-time world champion. 'This track is just very energy inefficient, but I also don't want to be too negative about it all.'

Drivers must adapt to unnatural energy management approaches, as deviations affect self-learning algorithms in power units. Verstappen stressed the FIA and F1 are doing everything possible within short-term constraints, but 'better doesn't mean that it's fixed. It's far from fixed.'