Breaking News: F1 Results Today: Ferrari Make Dream Start at Monza as…Read more

F1 Results Today: Ferrari Make Dream Start at Monza as…

Ferrari could hardly have asked for a better beginning to their home Italian Grand Prix weekend, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finishing first and second in Friday’s opening practice session at Monza.

Leclerc topped the FP1 timesheets with a 1:23.008, finishing 0.173 seconds clear of his Ferrari teammate Hamilton. Mercedes’ George Russell was third, just 0.304s off the pace, while Liam Lawson impressed in fourth for Red Bull.

Kimi Antonelli completed the top five, with Lando Norris sixth for McLaren. Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto and Paul Aron rounded out the top 10.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri endured a quieter session by his usual standards, ending FP1 in 11th, more than a second behind Leclerc. The differing performances could partly be explained by teams experimenting with engine settings and preparations for the rest of the weekend.

Several Drivers Step In at Monza

Friday’s opening session also featured a number of driver changes across the grid.

Liam Lawson stepped into the Red Bull seat in place of Isack Hadjar, while Yuki Tsunoda took Lawson’s Racing Bulls seat. Ayumu Iwasa replaced Max Verstappen at Red Bull, with Paul Aron, Luke Browning and Colton Herta also getting opportunities in FP1.

Most of the substitute drivers enjoyed relatively uneventful sessions, but Herta suffered a particularly difficult outing.

The American’s Cadillac developed a hydraulic problem after only around 15 minutes, forcing him to stop at the side of the circuit and briefly bringing out the red flag.

Herta’s trouble added to a frustrating day at Monza after he had already suffered a heavy crash at the second Lesmo corner during F2 practice earlier in the day.

Italian Grand Prix FP1 Results

1. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari — 1:23.008

2. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari — +0.173s

3. George Russell – Mercedes — +0.304s

4. Liam Lawson – Red Bull — +0.425s

5. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes — +0.636s

6. Lando Norris – McLaren — +0.711s

7. Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls — +0.794s

8. Gabriel Bortoleto – Audi — +0.998s

9. Franco Colapinto – Alpine — +1.020s

10. Paul Aron – Alpine — +1.169s

11. Oscar Piastri – McLaren — +1.176s

12. Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls — +1.563s

13. Nico Hulkenberg – Audi — +1.618s

14. Oliver Bearman – Haas — +1.638s

15. Luke Browning – Williams — +1.732s

16. Carlos Sainz – Williams — +1.819s

17. Ayumu Iwasa – Red Bull — +1.865s

18. Esteban Ocon – Haas — +2.844s

19. Valtteri Bottas – Cadillac — +2.976s

20. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin — +3.058s

21. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin — +3.064s

22. Colton Herta – Cadillac — +6.914s

FP2 Up Next

Attention now turns to the second practice session, where teams will continue fine-tuning their cars ahead of qualifying and Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.

FP2 is scheduled for Friday, September 4 at 4:00pm local time (3:00pm BST).

Ferrari’s one-two in FP1 gives the home team plenty of reason for optimism, but with championship points at stake and the weekend still in its early stages, there is plenty more to come at Monza.