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 his ultimate "dream". The seven‑time world champion, who has struggled to match his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in both Friday practice sessions, believes the recent engine upgrade gives the Scuderia the speed needed to challenge for the top spot on the grid. In the first free‑practice session, Leclerc posted the fastest lap, while the second session saw Mercedes’ George Russell claim the top time, with Leclerc second and Hamilton only managing fifth place behind Kimi Antonelli and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Despite the mixed results, the overall performance of the Ferrari cars suggests they have the pace to contend for pole, especially with the new power unit now in play. Qualifying is set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 at 3 p.m., and the format gives Ferrari a two‑versus‑one advantage over Mercedes because world‑championship leader Kimi Antonelli has already incurred penalties for exceeding his allocated engine components.
Those penalties will force Antonelli to start from the back of the grid regardless of where he qualifies, a strategic decision by Mercedes that they hope will allow the young Italian to recover positions more easily on Monza’s high‑speed layout. Hamilton summed up the situation succinctly: "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 Ferrari’s home race would be "the dream, the ultimate dream," though he cautioned that achieving it would require a massive amount of work during the final practice and qualifying runs. "Whether or not we can is the big, big question. It’s going to take a lot of effort tonight to identify any mistakes and find any areas where we can improve – there are loads of places we can improve.
Also, being in the right place at the right time on track will help a lot," he explained. Even though Antonelli is not a direct contender for pole, he echoed Hamilton’s assessment that the session will be fiercely contested.
The 20‑year‑old Italian currently leads the drivers’ standings by 59 points over George Russell, with Hamilton trailing by the same margin and Lando Norris sitting 83 points behind in fourth place. Mercedes have deliberately chosen Antonelli’s home race as the venue for him to serve his penalty, believing that the long‑straight, slip‑stream‑friendly nature of Monza will give him a better chance to fight back through the field than at other circuits on the calendar. Antonelli described his Friday as "a bit different" compared with his usual routine, noting that the team focused more on long‑run simulations, which felt "weird" but ultimately proved productive.
He highlighted the data gathered and expressed optimism about the upcoming 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 buoyed by consecutive victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, hoping to keep his championship challenge alive.
However, the Briton admitted that the team has struggled to replicate that form on Monza’s uniquely fast and flowing circuit. "Not very decent. Just struggling a lot more with pace," Norris said, adding that the car’s performance in the corners was inconsistent – good where they expected weakness and vice‑versa.
He acknowledged that the team is currently "off" the pace and will need to work overnight to improve. "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 concluded.
The weekend schedule is packed: Saturday 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. (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 main qualifying session at 3 p.m. (also shown on Sky Sports Main Event).
After qualifying, the day wraps up with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 5 p.m. Sunday’s program kicks off with an F3 Feature Race at 7:10 a.m., then an F2 Feature Race at 8:40 a.m., and a Porsche Supercup race at 10:40 a.m.
The Italian Grand Prix itself begins at 12:30 p.m., with pre‑race build‑up coverage, and the race starts at 2 p.m. The chequered flag falls at 4 p.m., followed by post‑race reaction and another episode of Ted’s Notebook at 5 p.m. Fans can watch the entire Monza weekend live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available through the NOW platform without a long‑term contract, allowing cancellation at any time. The combination of a refreshed Ferrari engine, a motivated Mercedes squad, and a determined McLaren team sets the stage for an exhilarating qualifying session where every millisecond will count, and Hamilton’s dream of a Monza pole remains very much alive.