What to Watch for: The key storylines to look out for in Monza as the action resumes

The summer break is over, with the teams and their drivers ready to resume the 2024 season as Monza kicks off the final part of the campaign.
Isack Hadjar currently leads the Drivers’ Championship after an impressive first 10 rounds of the year, while his Campos Racing team and Invicta Racing are tied at the top of the Teams’ Standings.
There is a lot on the line heading into the weekend, so here a few of those storylines you should be looking out for at Monza…
It is fair to say that Hadjar and Campos were the combination to beat before the summer break. Helped by his four Feature Race victories, the Frenchman currently leads the Standings with 165 points.
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His victory in the Spa-Francorchamps Feature was arguably the most impressive as he came out on top following a close battle with his two closest title rivals, Gabriel Bortoleto and Paul Aron.
Since Melbourne, Hadjar has finished outside of the podium just twice in the eight Feature Races that have followed, showing his incredible pace and consistency.
With a 36-point lead over Bortoleto a fifth victory in the Feature at Monza would put him in an incredibly strong position heading into the final three rounds.
Based on the form he has shown in recent months, it would be hard to bet against Hadjar, especially around a track where he has enjoyed success at in the past.
But Hadjar will have a host of rivals gunning for him, including his nearest rival Bortoleto. The Invicta driver has finished in the points in 12 of the last 14 races – including a Spielberg Feature Race victory and a second-place finish at the same event at Spa.
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He will be keen to start to beat Hadjar at Monza and beyond as will Paul Aron. The Hitech Pulse-Eight driver had a brilliant first half of the year, achieving a podium at each of the opening seven rounds.
However, his results have dipped since Silverstone, with just one point-scoring result in the six races preceding the summer break, despite achieving two Pole Positions at Budapest and Spa.
Another who will be keen to launch an attack on top spot will be Zane Maloney, who was the leader until Monte Carlo. Could he recapture the form he showed at the opening round of the year in Sakhir when he won both races?
Race winners like Jak Crawford, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Dennis Hauger will also be hopeful of putting in a late charge, and that all starts this weekend at Monza.
Monza possesses an intriguing dilemma for the drivers as only once has the Feature Race winner been the pole-sitter – with Oscar Piastri winning from the front for PREMA Racing back in 2021.
With a long run to Turn 1 and with the track offering plenty of overtaking opportunities, this has often played into the hands of the drivers behind, considering how powerful the slipstream and the DRS are at the Temple of Speed.
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This is even more interesting when you see that only once in 2024 has the driver on Pole Position won the Feature Race – with Hadjar doing so at Silverstone.
Now, this is not to suggest that the drivers will actively look to avoid Pole, they will always want top spot, and they can get an additional two points for their efforts.
But it gives hope to those that start further behind, that even if you miss out on P1 on Friday afternoon, you are still in with a chance of victory on both Saturday and Sunday.
As previously mentioned, there is a tie at the top of the Teams’ Standings with both Campos and Invicta on 203 points.
They have gone back and forth in recent rounds, so both teams will hope to have two cars fighting at the front and scoring points this weekend in a bid to steal a march.
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However, they are not the only ones who will have their sights set on being at the front. MP Motorsport are only 24 points behind, and they will know that one big weekend is all they need to go back to the top.
Behind them, Hitech were just a point behind Campos in second after Barcelona, but their results have dipped, and they are now fourth with 153 points. They will be keen to start their charge up the order at Monza.
As will fifth-placed Rodin Motorsport, who led the way until Imola. They have shown signs of strong pace in recent rounds and will be keen to return to winning ways.
DAMS Lucas Oil, PREMA Racing and ART Grand Prix are the other teams who have more than a century of points this year. Could Monza be the setting for the start of their late season fightback up the order?
The bottom three teams Van Amersfoort Racing, Trident and AIX Racing will also be looking to end the year on a high, and a good result this weekend could be the catalyst for that.