Lewis Hamilton has warned that qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza will be an exceptionally close affair, describing the prospect of securing pole position as a "dream" for the Mercedes driver. Despite being outpaced by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in both Friday practice sessions, the recent introduction of a fresh engine upgrade for the Scuderia suggests they possess the speed required to challenge for the top spot on the grid.
In the first practice session, Leclerc posted the quickest lap, while the second practice saw Mercedes’ George Russell claim the fastest time, with Leclerc second and Hamilton dropping to fifth behind Kimi Antonelli and McLaren’s Lando Norris. The mixed results underline the competitive nature of the weekend, with multiple teams appearing capable of contesting the pole.
Qualifying is scheduled to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 at 3 p.m., and the session will feature a two‑versus‑one advantage for Ferrari due to world‑championship leader Kimi Antonelli already having incurred penalties for exceeding his allocated engine components. Those penalties will force Antonelli to start from the back of the grid regardless of his qualifying performance, giving Ferrari a strategic edge.
Hamilton summed up his expectations, saying, "It's going to be tight, it's very close. We're up against the McLarens and the Mercedes, they are very, very competitive. Every weekend the Mercedes is just really, really quick. It'll be tough, for sure, but we need to knuckle down tonight and see if we can pull something out." He added that a front‑row start or pole at Ferrari’s home race would be "the ultimate dream," though he acknowledged that achieving it would require substantial work during the final practice hour to identify any shortcomings and areas for improvement.
The 20‑year‑old Italian Antonelli, while not a direct contender for pole, concurred with Hamilton’s assessment of a tight battle ahead. Antonelli currently leads the championship by 59 points over Russell, with Hamilton trailing by the same margin and Lando Norris sitting 83 points behind in fourth place. Mercedes has opted to serve Antonelli’s inevitable penalty at Monza, believing that the high‑speed nature of the circuit will afford him a better chance to recover positions during the race compared with other venues on the calendar. Reflecting on his own performance, Antonelli said, "Today was a bit different from usual, more focused on long runs, which felt a little odd, but overall it was a good day.
We collected a lot of data and are looking forward to the next few days. Ferrari definitely made a step forward with the new engine and now the speeds are comparable. We know how strong their car is in the corners, so tomorrow’s pole fight will be very tight." McLaren’s Lando Norris arrived in Italy buoyed by back‑to‑back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, hoping to keep his title defence alive. However, the Briton expressed disappointment after the team struggled to translate recent form onto Monza’s unique layout.
Norris admitted, "Not very decent. Just struggling a lot more with pace. In the corners we expected to be good at we're bad at and in the corners we expected to be bad at, we're not so bad at.
But we're still off. So not in a great place at the minute.
We'll see what we can do overnight but it's going to be tougher than before for sure. It's close between a lot of the guys at the top.
The guys behind are not that far either so they can easily surprise us. I definitely don't feel we are in the fight for pole at all but we need to focus on getting a decent result." The weekend schedule is packed with support series and race events. On Saturday, September 5, the day begins with an F3 sprint at 8:25 a.m., followed by the third practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at 11:15 a.m.
(session starting at 11:30 a.m.). An F2 sprint follows at 1:10 p.m., leading into the qualifying build‑up at 2:15 p.m.
and the official qualifying session at 3 p.m. A post‑qualifying analysis, "Ted’s Qualifying Notebook," airs at 5 p.m. Sunday, September 6, features an F3 feature race at 7:10 a.m., an F2 feature race at 8:40 a.m., and a Porsche Supercup race at 10:40 a.m. The main event, the Italian Grand Prix, starts at 12:30 p.m., with the race itself kicking off at 2 p.m.
The chequered flag falls at 4 p.m., followed by a reaction segment and another edition of "Ted’s Notebook" at 5 p.m. All of this action is available live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming options through the NOW platform, offering a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime service for viewers. As the teams prepare for what promises to be a fiercely contested qualifying session, Hamilton’s ambition for a "dream" pole remains a tantalising possibility, contingent on the team’s ability to fine‑tune the car and extract maximum performance from the new power unit in the final hour of preparation.