Italian GP FP1: Hamilton lights up Monza as Ferrari deliver a home-crowd 1-2
Lewis Hamilton needed only a heartbeat to make his Monza debut in red feel special. The seven-time champion topped opening practice for Ferrari with a 1:20.117, leading teammate Charles Leclerc by 0.169s as the Scuderia opened their home weekend with a statement one-two.
It’s Hamilton’s first time heading a timed session since the Chinese Sprint, and the timing couldn’t be sweeter. Monza’s grandstands were already full and loud on a Friday; a Ferrari lockout at the top only turned the volume up.
The final minutes decided it. After a red flag for gravel clean-up, Leclerc bolted out of the pits and banked a 1:20.286 on softs to go four-tenths clear of Max Verstappen, who’d been in charge before the stoppage. Carlos Sainz — now in Williams blue after four years at Ferrari — then split the pair with a tidy lap that drew a cheer of its own. But Hamilton had one more answer, and it arrived with a lap that stitched together the important bits: crisp braking into the chicanes, clean rotation through Ascari, and a tidy punch out of Parabolica. Enough for P1, and enough to make the tifosi believe Friday might translate into something more.
Verstappen wound up fourth, just behind Sainz and six tenths off Hamilton, after a session that was steady rather than spectacular for Red Bull. The world champion had earlier nudged the RB21 to the top before the interruption, but didn’t find the same step when everyone turned the wick up.
The red flag itself was brief. Kimi Antonelli dragged gravel onto the line at Turn 8 after brushing the kerb on exit, while Isack Hadjar did the same at Turn 6. Marshals swept several corners and the session restarted with 20 minutes to run — just enough time for the qualifying sims that decided the order.
Antonelli ultimately grabbed fifth for Mercedes, an encouraging marker on the anniversary of his first official F1 session. George Russell was eighth after parking his Mercedes with a late power shutdown at the second chicane, bringing out yellow flags and a slightly early end to his run plan.
McLaren kept their powder dry. Lando Norris was sixth after a quiet hour, while young stand-in Alex Dunne — taking Oscar Piastri’s car for FP1 — logged mileage and finished 16th. Expect more from the papaya pair when it matters.
Williams had reason to smile beyond Sainz. Alex Albon slotted into seventh, giving the Grove team two cars in the top seven on a low-drag circuit that traditionally flatters them. It’s only Friday, but the baseline looks healthy.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was ninth, ahead of Hadjar, who rounded out the top 10 for Racing Bulls with an efficient lap after his early off. The Sauber pair of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg sat just outside in P11 and P12, the rookie Brazilian fractionally ahead of his veteran teammate.
Further back, Liam Lawson took P13 for Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda 14th in the sister Red Bull after a scrappy hour. Lance Stroll was 15th for Aston Martin, ahead of Dunne, while Haas endured a muted start: Esteban Ocon 17th and Oliver Bearman 19th. Alpine brought up the rear in a bruising FP1 — Pierre Gasly 18th and Paul Aron 20th — their cars appearing wind-sensitive and short on bite through the fast changes of direction.
Monza being Monza, caveats apply. The slipstream lottery is real, fuel loads are opaque, and track evolution can make heroes and fools of the same lap ten minutes apart. Still, Ferrari looked planted on the mediums early and sharp on the softs late. For a fanbase that arrives at this place expecting theatre, FP1 was a promising opening act.
Top 10, FP1 – Italian GP:
1) Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:20.117
2) Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.169
3) Sainz (Williams) +0.533
4) Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.575
5) Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.823
6) Norris (McLaren) +0.904
7) Albon (Williams) +0.956
8) Russell (Mercedes)
9) Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.997
10) Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +1.041
Ferrari have been careful this year not to overplay Fridays. But the body language in the garage looked relaxed, the car balance sane, and the crowd… well, you can hear that from the paddock tunnel. If Hamilton and Leclerc can carry this form into qualifying, Monza might just get the red-letter weekend it craves.
