Lewis Hamilton led team-mate Charles Leclerc in an impressive one-two as Ferrari made a flying start to their home Italian Grand Prix in Practice One at Monza.
A year on from Leclerc’s emotional victory in front of the Tifosi for the home team at Monza, Ferrari’s car impressed again straight away in the fast low-downforce conditions required at F1’s ‘Temple of Speed’.
Leclerc had initially proved the quickest of the two Ferraris and led the timesheet until the closing minutes of the opening session when Hamilton uncorked a 1:20.177 to pip his team-mate by 0.1s, ensuring the Briton marked his debut session as a Ferrari driver at Monza in eye-catching fashion.
Hamilton already knows he will start Sunday’s race from no higher than sixth due to a grid penalty carried over from last week in Zandvoort for a yellow-flag infringement ahead of that race, but will surely be buoyed by his strong start on a track where he is the joint-record holder for wins.
“He needs to enjoy these moments,” said Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok.
“Maybe they have their engines turned up, maybe they haven’t, it will all become clear tomorrow. But it’s a good start to the weekend. Enjoy it.”
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Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok is in the Skypad to explain why Lewis Hamilton will serve a five-place grid penalty from the previous race at Zandvoort at his first Monza weekend as a Ferrari driver
Williams can also be pleased with their own flying start to the event on a track they have gone well at in the recent past after Carlos Sainz finished third quickest, albeit 0.5s back on Hamilton.
With Max Verstappen fourth in the Red Bull having made the initial medium-tyre running in the session, dominant championship leaders McLaren unusually started well off the pace.
Lando Norris was sixth and 0.9s back on Hamilton after difficulties on his soft-tyre runs, including a trip through the gravel at the high-speed Lesmos.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri sat out the opening session as McLaren gave a second outing of the season to Ireland’s Alex Dunne. The F2 front-runner finished 16th quickest, half a second behind Norris.
Italy’s Kimi Antonelli was a solid fifth fastest at the start of his first full home grand prix but Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who was eighth quickest, finished the session by stopping at the side of the track due to a suspected hydraulics fault on his car.
Antonelli, then in F2, had crashed at the Parabolica within minutes of his F1 debut when handed a Practice One run-out by the team at his home event last year.
Williams finished with both their cars comfortably in the top 10 as Alex Albon took seventh, with Fernando Alonso ninth for Aston Martin and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar 10th.
Hadjar brought out the red flag in the closing 20 minutes after running wide at the Ascari chicane brought gravel onto the circuit.
Alpine reserve Paul Aron was given his first Friday run-out of the season by his parent team, having previously been loaned to Sauber for two P1 sessions this year, and was 20th fastest after an earlier spin at the second chicane.
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1’s Italian GP schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place at the Italian Grand Prix
Friday September 5
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.35pm: Italian Grand Prix Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday September 6
8.10am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Italian Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 11:30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Italian Grand Prix Qualifying build-up
3pm: ITALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday September 7
7.10am: F3 Feature Race
8.40am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP build-up
2pm: THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Italian GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1’s European season concludes with the Italian Grand Prix – watch the whole Monza weekend live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
