Lewis Hamilton has warned that qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza will be a "very close" affair, describing a potential pole position there as a "dream" for the seven-time world champion. The British driver, who has struggled to match the pace of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in the two practice sessions on Friday, remains optimistic that the recent engine upgrade introduced by the Scuderia could give him the speed needed to challenge for the top spot on the grid.
In the first practice session, Leclerc posted the fastest lap, while Hamilton found himself down the order, eventually finishing fifth behind Kimi Antonelli, the 20‑year‑old Italian rookie, and McLaren’s Lando Norris. The second practice saw Mercedes’ George Russell claim the quickest time, with Leclerc again in second place and Hamilton still off the pace. Despite these results, the overall performance of the Ferrari cars, especially after the new power unit was fitted, suggests that the team may have the outright speed to contest the pole.
Qualifying is scheduled to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and the session will feature a unique two‑versus‑one situation.
World champion Kimi Antonelli has already incurred a grid‑penalty for exceeding his allotted engine components, meaning he will start from the back of the grid regardless of where he qualifies. This penalty gives Ferrari a strategic advantage, as they will have two cars fighting for the front row while Mercedes will be represented by a single entry.
Hamilton’s comments captured his realistic yet hopeful outlook: "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 securing a front‑row start or even pole at Monza would be "the ultimate dream," but acknowledged that achieving it would require meticulous work and perhaps a bit of luck in finding the perfect line on the high‑speed circuit. The young Italian, Antonelli, who is currently leading the championship by 59 points over Russell and Hamilton, echoed Hamilton’s assessment of a tight battle for pole.
Although his penalty removes him from pole contention, his presence adds an extra layer of intrigue to the weekend. Mercedes have strategically chosen Monza as the venue for Antonelli to serve his penalty, believing that the long straights and slip‑streaming opportunities will enable him to recover positions more easily than at other tracks still on the calendar. Antonelli reflected on his practice day, noting that the focus on long runs made the session feel different from the usual sprint‑style work.
He said, "Today was a bit of a different day compared to usual. A lot more focused on long runs so it was a bit weird, not going to lie, but overall, it was a good day. We gathered a lot of data and now looking forward to the next few days. Ferrari definitely took a step forward with a new engine and now the speeds are the same.
We know how good their car is into the corners so, for sure, it’s going to be a tight fight for pole tomorrow." McLaren’s Lando Norris arrived in Italy riding a wave of confidence after back‑to‑back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, hoping to keep his title defence alive. However, the Briton admitted that the team’s performance at Monza has not lived up to the recent form. "Not very decent.
Just struggling a lot more with pace," Norris said, adding that the car behaved opposite to expectations in several corners. "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." Norris also highlighted how competitive the field is, noting that while the top three drivers are separated by relatively small margins, the midfield can still surprise. "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," he added. The weekend’s schedule is packed with support races that will precede the main event.
On Saturday, the day begins with an F3 sprint at 8:25 a.m., followed by the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:15 a.m. (the session itself starts at 11:30 a.m.). An F2 sprint follows at 1:10 p.m., and the build‑up to qualifying starts at 2:15 p.m., leading into the qualifying session at 3:00 p.m. The afternoon concludes with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 5:00 p.m.
Sunday’s agenda includes the F3 feature race at 7:10 a.m., the F2 feature race at 8:40 a.m., and the Porsche Supercup race at 10:40 a.m. The main Grand Prix build‑up begins at 12:30 p.m., with the race itself kicking off at 2:00 p.m.
The chequered flag will fall at 4:00 p.m., followed by post‑race analysis and Ted’s Notebook at 5:00 p.m. Both the qualifying and race sessions will also be available on Sky Sports Main Event. Monza, known as the "Temple of Speed," is Ferrari’s home circuit and carries immense emotional weight for the Italian team and its fans. The historic track, with its long straights, iconic chicanes, and the famous Parabolica, demands a delicate balance between outright top‑end power and aerodynamic efficiency.
The recent engine upgrade appears to have closed the gap to Mercedes, but whether that translates into a pole‑winning lap remains to be seen. Fans can watch the action live on Sky Sports F1, and the coverage can be streamed via NOW without a long‑term contract, offering flexibility for viewers who only want to follow the weekend’s drama. As the teams head into the final qualifying session, the consensus among drivers and analysts alike is that Monza will deliver a tightly contested showdown, with Hamilton’s dream of a Ferrari‑home pole still within the realm of possibility if the British champion can extract the last ounce of performance from his Mercedes and capitalize on any mistakes from his rivals.