Reported
Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in Italian GP practice as Antonelli faces grid penalty
Charles Leclerc topped FP1 at Monza, leading teammate Lewis Hamilton, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli faces a grid penalty for an engine change.
Ferrari Dominates Opening Practice
Charles Leclerc secured the fastest time in the first free practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, leading a Ferrari 1-2 at their home circuit. Leclerc's lap of 1m23.008s, achieved on medium tyres, positioned him 0.173 seconds ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton on a warm August afternoon, as reported by Autosport. This strong performance comes amidst Ferrari’s introduction of a new engine and a special livery honoring Michael Schumacher's 1996 season, as they aim for a memorable victory at Monza.
Mercedes driver George Russell was third quickest, 0.304 seconds behind Leclerc, utilizing soft tyres for his best effort. Liam Lawson, continuing to deputize for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, secured fourth place, 0.425 seconds off the pace, according to Crash.net. Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, finished sixth and faced a reported back-of-the-grid penalty for exceeding his season's allocation of engine components following previous reliability issues.
McLaren Debuts H-Wing, Gasly Loses Monaco Podium
Reigning world champion Lando Norris, who has won the last two Formula 1 races in Hungary and the Netherlands, was sixth fastest in his McLaren, which debuted its rotating H-Wing at Monza, Autosport reported. This new aerodynamic component is intended to improve performance. Formula 1 rookie Arvid Lindblad took seventh place for Racing Bulls, ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.
Pierre Gasly, who did not participate in FP1, has reportedly lost his podium finish from the Monaco Grand Prix following a successful appeal by Red Bull and McLaren, effectively reinstating penalties. This decision, as noted by Autosport, means his earlier third-place finish is nullified, marking a challenging start to his Italian Grand Prix weekend. Paul Aron, one of four rookie drivers in the session, substituted for Gasly.
Herta's Session Cut Short as Engine Woes Continue
Colton Herta's latest Formula 1 appearance ended prematurely when his Cadillac developed hydraulic issues less than 20 minutes into the session, causing an early red flag. This incident prevented Herta from gaining valuable mileage for superlicence points, as Autosport detailed. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was among the drivers who sat out FP1, with Ayumu Iwasa taking his place and finishing 17th.
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, the only Finnish driver in the field, currently sits 21st in the drivers' championship with 0 points. The next Formula 1 round is the Italian Grand Prix, with the first session scheduled for Friday, September 4th, at 13:30 Finnish time.
Status And Sources
This story is labelled Reported, which means a newsroom we cite carries this but the people involved have not confirmed it. The rules behind those labels are in the editorial policy, and the desk that published it is Eero Lahtinen.
Written from the following reporting. Each link goes to the newsroom's own page, not to an aggregator:
