Charles Leclerc recorded the fastest lap in the first practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Friday, clocking a time of 1:23.008. Ferrari dominated the session with Leclerc first and teammate Lewis Hamilton second, 0.173 seconds adrift of the leader [1, 2].
George Russell was third fastest, about 0.304 seconds behind Leclerc, followed by Liam Lawson who substituted for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull [1, 3, 2]. Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader and the first Italian to lead the series at Monza in 73 years, placed fifth but faces a grid penalty for an engine change, meaning he will start Sunday’s race at the back of the field [1, 3, 2]. Antonelli leads the championship by 59 points over Russell after 12 rounds [1, 3, 2].
Lando Norris, winner of the last two races in Hungary and the Netherlands, was sixth fastest. The remainder of the top ten included Arvid Lindblad in seventh, Gabriel Bortoleto eighth, Franco Colapinto ninth, and Paul Aron tenth [1, 3, 2].
The session was briefly red-flagged when Colton Herta stopped on track due to a hydraulic issue [1, 3, 2]. Ferrari arrived at Monza with an engine upgrade and looked like clear favourites through the session [1, 2].
During the session, McLaren and Red Bull won their appeals against penalties for speeding in the Monaco Grand Prix. This reinstated Pierre Gasly’s podium position, reversing a prior penalty [3].
The second practice session and qualifying will take place tomorrow, setting the grid for Sunday’s Italian GP at the historic Monza circuit.
