In the opening practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Charles Leclerc claimed the fastest lap, followed closely by his teammate Lewis Hamilton, delivering a dominant one‑two for Ferrari after the team unveiled a fresh engine upgrade. Leclerc posted a lap time of 1:23.008, a full 0.173 seconds ahead of Hamilton, while Mercedes’ George Russell trailed another tenth of a second in third place.
The session also highlighted the situation of world‑championship contender Kimi Antonelli, who, after exceeding his allocated engine components for the season, will have to start the race from the back of the grid regardless of his qualifying performance. Despite this handicap, Antonelli managed a respectable fifth‑place lap for Mercedes, positioning him ahead of Russell and Hamilton in the championship standings by a narrow 59‑point margin.
Lando Norris of McLaren, fresh off consecutive victories that have revived his title aspirations, finished sixth, sitting 83 points behind the Italian driver in fourth place overall. Ferrari chose to debut the second of the two engine upgrades they are permitted to use this season at their home event, a strategic move prompted by FIA data indicating that their power unit had lagged behind the outputs of Red Bull and Mercedes. In addition to the power‑unit enhancement, the Scuderia introduced a suite of chassis modifications tailored specifically for Monza’s high‑speed layout, aiming to extract maximum aerodynamic efficiency and straight‑line velocity.
What makes the performance even more impressive is that both Leclerc’s and Hamilton’s best laps were set on the medium‑compound tyres, which are generally considered a compromise between grip and durability, whereas Russell’s quickest lap came on the softer, theoretically faster compound. This suggests that the new Ferrari package is delivering strong overall pace across tyre selections, while Mercedes may still possess untapped speed that was not fully displayed in the session, especially given Antonelli’s lack of pressure to set a qualifying‑grade time. Red Bull’s Liam Lawson provided a bright spot for the team, finishing fourth despite the absence of their regular 2026 drivers.
Lawson was standing in for Isack Hadjar, who missed the weekend after sustaining a wrist injury during the summer break. Max Verstappen also participated in the session, making way for several rookies to gain track time. Among the newcomers, Ayumu Iwasa recorded a 17th‑place finish in Verstappen’s Red Bull, while Alpine’s Paul Aron emerged as the top‑performing rookie, securing tenth place. Cadillac’s Colton Herta saw his opportunity cut short by a technical glitch, and British driver Luke Browning placed 15th for Williams.
The practice schedule was packed, featuring multiple support series: Formula 3 qualifying at 12:55 pm, Formula 2 qualifying at 1:50 pm, and the second F1 practice session at 2:35 pm, followed by The F1 Show at 4:15 pm and a Team Bosses’ press conference at 5:20 pm on Friday, September 4. Saturday’s agenda included an F3 sprint at 8:25 am, the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:15 am, an F2 sprint at 1:10 pm, and the build‑up to qualifying at 2:15 pm, with the actual Italian Grand Prix qualifying commencing at 3:00 pm. The day concluded with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 5:00 pm. Sunday’s program featured the F3 feature race at 7:10 am, the F2 feature race at 8:40 am, a Porsche Supercup race at 10:40 am, and a series of build‑up events leading to the main race.
The Grand Prix itself started at 2:00 pm, followed by the chequered flag ceremony and post‑race reaction at 4:00 pm, and finally Ted’s Notebook at 5:00 pm. The qualifying session was also broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event. Overall, the weekend promises an exciting showdown at Monza, where Ferrari will look to capitalize on their upgrades and home‑track advantage, while rivals such as Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren aim to challenge the Italian team’s momentum.
Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available through NOW without a long‑term contract, allowing cancellation at any time.