Ferrari were hot on McLaren’s heels during free practice ahead of their home grand prix at Monza. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in FP1, with the seven-time world champion besting his teammate by 0.169s. Hamilton later reported a loss of power in FP3 but nevertheless ended the final session in seventh.
Leclerc suffered a series of wayward moments at the Ascari chicane as well as the second Lesmo during FP2 and FP3, but a late run on the softs saw him end the final part of practice in second, just 0.021s off pacesetter Lando Norris. Ferrari sports a special livery for this weekend commemorating the 50th anniversary of the great Niki Lauda’s maiden championship and will be looking for a return to form, given their calamitous double DNF last time out at Zandvoort.
As tight as it may seem, McLaren still have the edge on pace. Lando Norris went quickest in FP2 and FP3, despite a cracked mirror in the second session and a minor off at the first chicane in FP3. Norris comes to Monza in need of a good result, with his title hopes having taken a beating thanks to a mechanical failure at Zandvoort. Norris now trails his teammate Oscar Piastri by 34 points.
Piastri did not partake in FP1, with McLaren running Alex Dunne in his place. This marks Dunne’s second FP1 appearance for McLaren, the 19-year-old having impressed with a P4 finish last time out in Austria. There were no such heroics from Dunne on this occasion, as he was impeded by Ollie Bearmen in FP1 and en route to 16th.
Piastri returned for FP2 and, despite suffering a cracked mirror of his own, ended the final session in third, 0.165s off his teammate.
A run-in with Esteban Ocon in FP3 did little to dent Max Verstappen’s spirits. The reigning world champion was reportedly pleased with the handling of his Red Bull throughout free practice and ended the final session fourth. Despite claiming victory here in 2022 and 2023, Monza has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Verstappen and Red Bull. That said, his form in free practice suggests a possible upturn in form. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda did not fare as well after being impeded by Lance Stroll in FP2 and ending FP3 in 13th.
By contrast, RB had a promising free practice, fresh off his maiden podium at Zandvoort. Isack Hadjar made the top ten in FP1 and FP3, only missing out by 0.107s in FP2. His teammate Liam Lawson played second fiddle in all three sessions and ran wide at the della Roggia chicane in FP3 en route to P16.
Mercedes’ fortunes were mixed in free practice. George Russell suffered a technical issue in FP1 that brought the session to an early end, while Kimi Antonelli beached his car in the gravel in FP2 and brought out the red flag. Antonelli is in desperate need of a good result on home soil, having scored points just twice in the last nine grand prix. The pair recovered to fifth and ninth, respectively, in FP3.
Elsewhere, Sauber enjoyed a decent session with Nico Hulkenberg managing eighth in FP2 and Gabriel Bortoleto sixth in FP3, despite an off at turn one.
After a run of so-called ‘bogey tracks’, Williams come to Zandvoort brimming with confidence, given their recent run of form here (the Grove-based squad have scored points in five of the last seven Italian Grand Prix). Carlos Sainz underlined this form by securing third in FP1 and FP2, and despite an apparent drop-off in pace come FP3, the team remains confident of a good result in Italy.
Haas and Alpine once again find themselves at the lower end of the time sheets, with Esteban Ocon ending the final session in 20th and Pierre Gasly 18th. The latter suffering from a plank issue in FP3.
McLaren look to have the edge going into qualifying, but with Ferrari in close attendance and Verstappen looking confident, qualifying at Monza looks set to be a thriller.
