Lewis Hamilton has warned that qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza will be an exceptionally close affair, describing the prospect of securing a pole position there as a "dream" for the seven‑time world champion. After a weekend in which his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc out‑paced him in both Friday practice sessions, Hamilton remains confident that the team’s recent engine upgrade has given them the speed needed to challenge for the top spot on the grid. In the first practice session, Leclerc posted the fastest lap, while the second session saw Mercedes youngster George Russell claim the top time, with Leclerc second and Hamilton only managing fifth place behind Kimi Antonelli and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Despite these results, the overall performance of the Ferrari package suggests that the Italian squad possesses the necessary pace to fight for pole, especially now that the new power unit is fully integrated.
Qualifying is set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 at 15:00, and the session will feature a two‑versus‑one grid advantage for Ferrari because world‑championship leader Kimi Antonelli has already incurred a penalty for exceeding his allocated engine components. This penalty forces him to start from the back of the grid regardless of where he qualifies, giving Ferrari a strategic edge over Mercedes.
"It's going to be tight, it's very close," Hamilton said in the pre‑qualifying interview. "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 possibility of starting from the front row at Ferrari’s home race, 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. There are many areas we can still develop, and being in the right place on track at the right time will be crucial." Although Antonelli is not a contender for pole due to his penalty, he echoed Hamilton’s sentiment that the competition will be fierce.
The 20‑year‑old Italian currently leads the championship by 59 points over George Russell, with Hamilton trailing by the same margin and Lando Norris sitting 83 points behind in fourth place. Mercedes has strategically chosen Antonelli’s home race as the venue for him to serve his penalty, believing that the high‑speed nature of Monza will provide ample opportunities for him to recover positions during the race, more so than on many of the remaining circuits on the calendar. Antonelli commented, "Today was a bit different compared to usual.
We focused more on long runs, which felt 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 good their car is in the corners, so it will be a tight fight for pole tomorrow." McLaren’s Lando Norris arrived in Italy buoyed by back‑to‑back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, hoping to keep his championship momentum alive. However, the British driver expressed disappointment after his team struggled to adapt to Monza’s unique layout, which differs significantly from the previous two tracks.
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 races and events. On Saturday, September 5, the day begins with an F3 sprint at 08:25, followed by the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:15 (the session itself starts at 11:30). An F2 sprint follows at 13:10, and the qualifying build‑up begins at 14:15, leading into the crucial qualifying session at 15:00. The day concludes with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 17:00.
Sunday, September 6, features an F3 feature race at 07:10, an F2 feature race at 08:40, and a Porsche Supercup race at 10:40, before the main event builds up at 12:30. The Italian Grand Prix itself starts at 14:00, with the chequered flag and post‑race reaction slated for 16:00, followed by Ted’s Notebook at 17:00. Fans can watch the action live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available through NOW without a long‑term contract, offering the flexibility to cancel at any time. As the teams fine‑tune their setups and drivers push the limits of their machines, the anticipation builds for what promises to be a thrilling showdown at one of Formula 1’s most historic circuits.
Hamilton’s desire to clinch a pole at his rival’s home track adds an extra layer of drama, and with the championship battle tightening, every fraction of a second will matter in the quest for pole position at Monza.