Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 in first Monza practice

Lewis Hamilton topped the opening practice session at the Italian Grand Prix ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton set his fastest lap in the final five minutes to rocket to top spot with a best time of 1m20.117s on a set of used soft tires. Purple times in the second and third sectors ensured the Briton ended his first Italian Grand Prix session in Ferrari overalls in top spot.

Leclerc was second after setting his best time with around 15 minutes still to run in the session. He was quickest in the first sector, making Ferrari the fastest car through all sectors of its home grand prix.

Leclerc’s only issue was the stewards briefly contemplating an investigation into him overtaking a Sauber during a period of red flags to clear gravel off the circuit. The matter was quickly dismissed, however, when it became clear Leclerc could not avoid passing the slow-moving green car despite hitting the brakes as soon as the red flags were flown.

Carlos Sainz was a late improver to complete the top three, the Williams driver 0.533s off the pace. He pipped Max Verstappen to the place by just 0.042s.

Verstappen was a close match for the Ferrari drivers in the middle sector, which is dominated by the Roggia chicane and the two Lesmo corners, making it the least speed-sensitive section of the circuit. He nonetheless complained of his rear axle sliding on all tire compounds, hinting at the work still to be done in the second practice session.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli – who this time last year crashed heavily at Parabolica just two laps into a practice outing with Mercedes – completed the session in fifth, though he did take a trip through the gravel at Ascari that played a role in precipitating a red flag.

Lando Norris climbed to sixth in a patchy session for the championship challenger, who struggled early in the hour to set a representative time, even with the benefit of stand-in teammate Alex Dunne giving him a slipstream. A wide moment over the stones at the Lesmo corners contributed to a mid-session red flag to clear the circuit and was indicative of the Briton’s scrappy hour.

Alex Albon made it a double top-seven finish for Williams, the Thai driver 0.956s off the pace and about as distant to teammate Sainz as Sainz was to top spot.

George Russell ended the session eighth and stopped by the side of the road near the entry to the Ascari chicane with a sudden loss of power. The Mercedes driver also ended the hour under investigation for not correctly taking the escape road after running off track.

Fernando Alonso was ninth for Aston Martin ahead of Isack Hadjar in 10th, the Dutch Grand Prix podium getter concerned early about floor damage after taking too much curb at Ascari.

Gabriel Bortoleto led Sauber teammate Nico Hulkenberg in 11th and 12th ahead of Liam Lawson, who radioed late in the session of strange noises emanating from his turbocharger, though he made it to the end of the hour without further issue.

Yuki Tsunoda was 14th in the other Red Bull Racing car, more than 0.6s slower than Verstappen in fourth, but ahead of Lance Stroll in 15th.

Dunne, the McLaren development driver stepping in for Oscar Piastri, was 16th and 1.489s off the pace and 0.585s slower than Norris.

Esteban Ocon was 17th for Haas ahead of Pierre Gasly, who was incensed to have twice been held up by Williams cars, and Oliver Bearman.

Alpine junior Paul Aron, standing in for Franco Colapinto for the session, was last in the order and 0.5s slower than Gasly after surviving a spin at the Roggia chicane without damage.

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