Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in first Italian GP practice

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton locked out the top two spots of the opening practice session for Ferrari at the team’s home grand prix.

Both drivers were equipped with new and upgraded power units as well as special low-downforce aerodynamic kits for the speed-sensitive Monza track. The combination of new parts passed their first test, with Leclerc setting the fastest time of the opening hour of running with a best lap of 1m23.008s on medium tires. Hamilton, also on mediums, was 0.173s further back.

Amid some pre-weekend concern that the 2026 hybrid engines could produce considerably slower lap times at the energy-poor track, Leclerc’s quickest lap was 2.9s slower than the best time of FP1 last season.

George Russell was third quickest in the fancied Mercedes car, but the Englishman was 0.304s off the pace on soft tires and only 0.121s ahead of Liam Lawson, who is replacing the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull Racing for the second weekend in a row.

Title leader Kimi Antonelli started the session with a new power unit that tipped him beyond his allocation for the season, earning him a back-of-grid start for the race. The Italian was 0.636s off the pace after the first session, but the home favorite will be focusing on race pace throughout his practice program to boost his odds of a big Sunday recovery.

Lando Norris was sixth for McLaren, also with a new combustion engine, but the defending champion was 0.711s off the pace for McLaren.

Arvid Lindblad was the quicker Racing Bulls driver in seventh ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.

Paul Aron, the Alpine reserve driver, completed the top 10, 1.169s off the pace but only 0.149s slower than Colapinto.

Oscar Piastri was a distant 11th in the second McLaren, the Australian’s new rotating rear wing – also on Norris’s car – not enough to move him any closer than 1.176s off the pace.

Yuki Tsunoda, replacing Lawson at Racing Bulls for the second consecutive round, was 12th and 1.563s off the pace.

Nico Hulkenberg was 13th ahead of Oliver Bearman and Williams reserve driver Luke Browning. The Englishman, currently 12th in Japan’s Super Formula championship, eclipsed teammate Carlos Sainz by one place and 0.087s.

Ayumu Iwasa, the Red Bull Racing reserve driver and defending Super Formula champion, was 17th and 1.865s off the pace in Max Verstappen’s car.

Esteban Ocon was 18th ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Aston Martin teammates Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.

Cadillac development driver Colton Herta was classified 22nd after being instructed to park his car by the side of the road on just his sixth lap of the day with a suspected hydraulics problem.

The stoppage – between the Lesmo corners, near where the nine-time IndyCar winner crashed in F2 practice earlier in the day – triggered a brief red flag as marshals worked to engage neutral to wheel the car off the track. The lack of mileage means Herta will not qualify for a super license point for participating in the session.

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