Lewis Hamilton has warned that qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza will be a "very close" contest, describing a potential pole position there as a "dream" for the seven‑time world champion. The British driver, who struggled to match Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in both Friday practice sessions, believes his team now has the speed to fight for the top spot after the introduction of a new power‑unit upgrade.
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 Mercedes‑Ferrari package suggests a genuine showdown for pole.
Qualifying will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 at 3 p.m., and the grid will feature a two‑to‑one advantage for Ferrari because world‑championship leader Kimi Antonelli has already incurred penalties for exceeding his allocated engine components. Those penalties mean Antonelli will start from the back of the field regardless of where he qualifies, giving Ferrari a strategic edge. Hamilton summed up the situation: "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." When asked whether a front‑row start or even pole at Ferrari’s home race was within reach, the seven‑time champion 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 where we might have gone wrong and where we can improve – there are loads of areas to tweak. 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 concurs with Hamilton’s assessment that the fight will be extremely close.
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 have deliberately chosen Antonelli’s home race as the venue for him to serve his inevitable grid‑penalty, believing that the long‑straight, high‑speed nature of Monza will give him a better chance to recover positions during the race compared with other circuits on the calendar. Antonelli commented on his practice day, noting, "Today was a bit different from usual – more focused on long runs, which felt a little odd, but overall it was a good day.
We gathered a lot of data and now we’re looking forward to the next few days. Ferrari definitely took a step forward with the new engine, and now the speeds are matching.
We know how good their car is in 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 back‑to‑back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, hoping to keep his momentum alive and challenge for the drivers’ title. However, the British driver expressed disappointment after McLaren struggled to replicate their recent form on a circuit that differs markedly from the previous two venues. 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 series and race events.
On Saturday, September 5, the day begins with the 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.). The F2 Sprint takes place at 1:10 p.m., and the qualifying build‑up begins at 2:15 p.m., leading into the official qualifying session at 3:00 p.m. A post‑qualifying analysis, "Ted’s Qualifying Notebook," airs at 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 6, sees 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 Grand Prix build‑up starts at 12:30 p.m., with the Italian Grand Prix itself kicking off at 2:00 p.m. The race concludes with the chequered flag at 4:00 p.m., followed by a reaction segment and another edition of "Ted’s Notebook" at 5:00 p.m.
The qualifying session will also be simulcast on Sky Sports Main Event. Monza, known for its historic high‑speed straights and passionate Ferrari fans, promises an exhilarating weekend of Formula 1 action. Viewers can stream Sky Sports F1 via the NOW platform, which offers flexible, contract‑free access.
As the teams fine‑tune their cars and drivers brace for a fiercely contested qualifying session, the atmosphere at the Italian Grand Prix is set to be electric, with the prospect of a dream pole for Hamilton adding an extra layer of intrigue to the proceedings.