Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc set the pace in the first free practice for the Italian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen finishing fourth in the weekend’s opening session.
Following their double retirement in Zandvoort, Leclerc and Hamilton are seeking a sporting revenge in Ferrari’s home race. However, a repeat of Leclerc’s magnificent victory last year seems unlikely: McLaren is expected to be too fast in Italy.
This wouldn’t surprise Max Verstappen. His speed in the first free practice (VT1) is initially quite satisfactory – in the first half hour, he is the fastest on the field on medium tires. The Dutchman is then one of the first drivers to hit the track with soft tires halfway through the session, although he does complain about a lack of grip.
However, Verstappen manages to keep his car on the track in Italy, which cannot be said for Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, and Lando Norris, among others. They all end up in the gravel. This eventually results in so many stones on the track that a red flag is raised for a quick clean-up operation with just over twenty minutes left on the clock.
Russell’s Problem
After the resumption, first Leclerc and then Hamilton prove to be the fastest men of the first practice session. Behind the Ferrari duo, Carlos Sainz surprisingly finishes third in the Williams. George Russell, however, is less pleased: the Brit has to park his Mercedes in the grass due to a technical problem during the final phase of the session – the car is stuck in seventh gear and comes to a halt.
Notably, Lando Norris secures the sixth spot, nine-tenths behind Hamilton. His rival and teammate, Oscar Piastri, is absent from the timesheet. The championship leader is given a break by McLaren during the first practice session, where rookie Alex Dunne makes his debut. The Irishman, one of Richard Verschoor’s competitors in the battle for the Formula 2 title, finishes in sixteenth place.
The second practice session is scheduled for later today, at 15:00 UTC.
