Practice 1 Report - Hamilton leads Ferrari at Monza

Lewis Hamilton opened Ferrari’s home weekend in style by topping the opening free practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, heading team-mate Charles Leclerc to secure a 1-2 result for the Scuderia in front of the Monza crowd.

Hamilton produced a 1m20.117s lap in the closing stages on soft tyres to displace Leclerc, who had earlier led the order with a 1m20.286s. The Monegasque had found over four tenths on Max Verstappen’s early benchmark, as Red Bull’s four-time champion logged a 1m20.692s but struggled for grip.

The session was briefly interrupted with 25 minutes to go when Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar dragged gravel across the Variante Ascari after dipping a wheel wide, triggering a red flag. The stoppage came during the first round of soft-tyre runs, where several drivers struggled to extract consistent improvement. Lando Norris twice abandoned laps as his McLaren proved difficult to balance on the red-walled tyre.

Leclerc had his own moment of concern when he passed a Sauber at Curva Grande just as red flags appeared. He insisted he braked as hard as possible but could not avoid overtaking; stewards decided no further action was required.

In the final minutes, Hamilton found just under two tenths over his team-mate to seal the top spot as Ferrari delighted the tifosi. Late improvements were prevented when George Russell’s Mercedes ground to a halt out of Curva Grande, stuck in seventh gear.

Carlos Sainz placed his Williams third with a 1m20.650s, just ahead of Verstappen, while Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli was fifth with a 1m20.940s. Norris recovered to sixth at 1m21.021s, while Alex Albon, who ran hard tyres in his Williams, was seventh at 1m21.073s. Russell’s stranded Mercedes was eighth, Fernando Alonso put Aston Martin ninth with a 1m21.114s, and Hadjar completed the top ten at 1m21.158s.

Further back, Sauber pair Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg were split by a tenth in 11th and 12th, while Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda followed in 13th and 14th. Lance Stroll was 15th for Aston Martin.

Reserve appearances added interest: Alex Dunne replaced championship leader Oscar Piastri at McLaren, finishing 16th with 1m21.606s, while Paul Aron took Franco Colapinto’s Alpine seat but spun at the Variante della Roggia and ended last on 1m22.153s, just behind Haas duo Esteban Ocon (17th, 1m21.642s) and Ollie Bearman (19th, 1m22.058s), and Pierre Gasly in the second Alpine (18th, 1m21.653s).

The 60-minute session ended with Hamilton leading Leclerc and Sainz, ensuring Ferrari started their home event with the upper hand. At Monza, expectations are high, and FP1 has given the tifosi an encouraging first glimpse.