Lewis Hamilton has warned that qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza will be a "very close" contest, describing a potential pole position at Ferrari’s home circuit as a "dream" scenario. The seven‑time world champion acknowledged that the competition will be fierce, especially after his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc out‑paced him in both Friday practice sessions.
Nonetheless, the introduction of a new power‑unit upgrade for the Scuderia suggests they possess the speed needed to challenge for the top spot on the grid. During the first practice session, Leclerc posted the fastest lap, while the second session saw Mercedes’ George Russell claim the top time, with Leclerc in second and Hamilton dropping to fifth behind rookie Kimi Antonelli and McLaren’s Lando Norris. The mixed results underline how tightly matched the leading teams are as they head into the Saturday qualifying session, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 at 15:00 GMT.
Hamilton’s comments reflected the intensity of the upcoming showdown. "It’s going to be tight, it’s very close," he said. "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." When asked about the prospect of starting on the front row—or even clinching pole—at the iconic Monza circuit, Hamilton replied, "That’s the dream, the ultimate dream. Whether we can achieve it is the big question, and it will take a lot of work tonight to figure out if we’ve made any mistakes and where we can improve, because there are loads of areas to develop.
Also, being in the right place at the right time on track will help a lot." Even though Antonelli is not a direct contender for pole, he echoed Hamilton’s assessment of a tight battle. The 20‑year‑old Italian leads the drivers’ standings by 59 points over Russell, with Hamilton further back and Norris in fourth, 83 points behind the leader. Mercedes have strategically chosen Antonelli’s home race to serve the grid‑penalty he incurred for exceeding his allocated engine components, believing that a recovery drive at Monza will be more manageable than at many of the remaining circuits on the calendar.
Antonelli described his Friday as “a bit different from usual, with a greater focus on long runs, which felt a little odd but overall was a good day.” He added, “We gathered a lot of data and now look forward to the next few days. Ferrari definitely took a step forward with the new engine and the speeds are now comparable.
We know how strong their car is in the corners, so tomorrow’s pole fight will be tight.” McLaren’s Lando Norris arrived in Italy buoyed by back‑to‑back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, hoping to keep his championship aspirations alive. However, the British driver expressed disappointment after McLaren struggled to replicate their recent form on Monza’s high‑speed layout, which differs markedly from the previous two tracks. "Not very decent.
Just struggling a lot more with pace," Norris admitted. "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." He continued, "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: Saturday begins with the F3 Sprint at 08:25, followed by the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:15 (running from 11:30). The F2 Sprint will take place at 13:10, and the crucial qualifying session kicks off at 15:00, with a post‑qualifying analysis at 17:00. Sunday’s program includes the F3 Feature Race, the F2 Feature Race, a Porsche Supercup race, and the main event—the Italian Grand Prix—starting at 14:00, with the chequered flag and post‑race reaction slated for 16:00. All of this action will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1, and fans can access the coverage via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract, allowing cancellation at any time.
As the teams fine‑tune their setups and drivers push their machines to the limit, the anticipation builds for what could be a historic pole‑winning performance by Hamilton at the heart of Ferrari’s territory. The combination of fresh engine upgrades, strategic penalties, and the relentless pursuit of speed promises a thrilling showdown that could reshape the championship narrative as the season heads toward its climax.