Charles Leclerc claimed the fastest lap in the first practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, putting his teammate Lewis Hamilton in second place and showcasing Ferrari's strong performance after unveiling a new engine upgrade at Monza. Leclerc recorded a lap time of 1:23.008, a full 0.173 seconds ahead of Hamilton, while Mercedes driver George Russell was a further tenth of a second slower in third place. The session also featured world championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli, who, despite having exceeded his allotted number of engine components for the season and therefore being forced to start from the back of the grid on Sunday, managed to secure fifth place for Mercedes. McLaren’s Lando Norris, fresh off consecutive victories that have revived his title defence hopes, finished sixth, trailing Antonelli by a single position.
In the championship standings, Antonelli currently leads both Russell and Hamilton by 59 points, with Norris sitting 83 points behind the Italian driver in fourth place. These gaps underline the competitive intensity as the season approaches its climax. Ferrari chose to debut the second of the two engine upgrades they are permitted to use during the season at their home race, a strategic decision prompted by FIA data indicating that their power unit had been lagging behind the outputs of Red Bull and Mercedes.
In addition to the power‑unit enhancement, the Scuderia introduced a suite of chassis modifications specifically tailored for Monza’s high‑speed layout, aiming to extract maximum aerodynamic efficiency on the famed "Temple of Speed." What makes the performance even more striking is that both Leclerc’s and Hamilton’s quickest laps were set on the medium‑compound tyre, whereas Russell’s best effort came on the theoretically faster soft compound. This suggests that the new Ferrari package is delivering strong pace across a range of tyre selections, and that the team’s engineers have succeeded in balancing grip and top‑speed for the circuit’s long straights.
It is worth noting, however, that Antonelli’s qualifying position carries little weight for him because he is already destined to start from the back regardless of his lap time. Consequently, the Mercedes squad may possess more outright speed than the practice results alone reveal, as they could be holding back to protect their components for the race.
Red Bull’s Liam Lawson delivered an encouraging fourth‑place finish for the team, which fielded a line‑up that did not include either of its official 2026 drivers. Lawson was stepping in for Isack Hadjar, who missed the weekend after sustaining a wrist injury during the summer break. Max Verstappen also took part in the session, allowing four drivers to give rookie experience a chance to shine.
Among the newcomers, Ayumu Iwasa qualified 17th in Verstappen’s Red Bull, while Paul Aron impressed by finishing 10th for Alpine, emerging as the highest‑placed rookie of the day. Cadillac’s Colton Herta saw his opportunity cut short by a technical glitch, and British driver Luke Browning managed 15th place for Williams. The weekend schedule is packed with action across the support categories.
On Friday, September 4, the day begins with the Formula 3 qualifying session at 12:55 pm, followed by the Formula 2 qualifying at 1:50 pm, and the second practice for the Italian Grand Prix at 2:35 pm. The afternoon continues with the F1 Show at 3:00 pm, and the Team Bosses’ Press Conference at 4:15 pm, before wrapping up with the F1 Show again at 5:20 pm. Saturday, September 5, opens with the Formula 3 Sprint at 8:25 am, then the third practice session for the Grand Prix at 11:15 am (starting officially at 11:30 am). The Formula 2 Sprint follows at 1:10 pm, and the build‑up to qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix begins at 2:15 pm.
The main qualifying session kicks off at 3:00 pm, with the additional Ted’s Qualifying Notebook segment at 5:00 pm. Sunday, September 6, is the climax of the weekend. The Formula 3 Feature Race starts at 7:10 am, followed by the Formula 2 Feature Race at 8:40 am, and the Porsche Supercup Race at 10:40 am.
The Grand Prix build‑up begins at 12:30 pm, leading into the Italian Grand Prix itself at 2:00 pm. The chequered flag falls at 4:00 pm, followed by a reaction segment at 5:00 pm, and concluding with Ted’s Notebook for post‑race analysis. Fans can watch the entire event live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available through NOW – a contract‑free service that can be cancelled at any time.
The combination of Ferrari’s home‑track advantage, the newly introduced engine and chassis upgrades, and the intense battle among the sport’s leading drivers promises an exciting and unpredictable race weekend at Monza.