F1 | FP1 | Italian GP | Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-2 with Sainz following in P3 - Motorsport

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The Formula 1 paddock has arrived at the Temple of Speed for the 2025 F1 Italian GP, beginning with Friday’s FP1 session. After Lando Norris’ retirement at last weekend’s Dutch GP, he will be eager to secure crucial points this weekend to remain in championship contention and reduce the 34-point deficit to leader Oscar Piastri, who currently sits on 309 points.

Monza, a circuit steeped in motorsport history, has featured on the F1 calendar every year bar one since the Championship began. Known for its blistering pace, drivers spend over 80% of the lap at full throttle, reaching top speeds down the iconic 1.1km start/finish straight. From there, the layout demands precision and bravery as they charge into the historic park section, where heavy braking zones and tight chicanes test balance, confidence, and car control.

The first Free Practice session also features Alex Dunne driving for McLaren in place of Piastri, and Paul Aron taking part for Alpine in place of Franco Colapinto.

Lewis Hamilton is also carrying a 5-place grid penalty from the Dutch GP, for failing to slow under yellow flags on his way to the grid, which he will serve in Sunday’s race.

Immediate action at the green light

Most drivers began on medium tyres for the F1 Italian GP FP1 session, while both Racing Bulls, the Williams pair, and Gabriel Bortoleto opted for hards. The medium tyres required some warm-up, with several drivers struggling through Turn 1 and pushing their cars to the absolute limit.

Norris headed straight to the top of the timings with a 1:21.513. This was short lived, with Max Verstappen climbing to the top with three-tenths on Norris.

Albon then moved to the top on hard tyres, setting a 1:21.073, while Carlos Sainz put his Williams in P3. The low-downforce setup of the Williams cars makes them strong contenders this weekend, perfectly suited to Monza’s high-speed layout.

Aron experienced a spin at Turn 3, brushing the gravel, but managed to recover and continue on track. Isack Hadjar then was shown the black and white flags for failing to follow race directions instructions. He went wide on track and failed to use the escape road correctly.

Halfway point of the F1 Italian GP session

The track quieted as most drivers returned to the pits. Only the McLarens, Verstappen, Russell, Albon, and Hulkenberg remained out, with Albon on medium tyres and the rest on softs. When the remainder of the grid re joined, Verstappen reported sliding, despite topping the times with a 1:20.692.

Norris headed out on soft tyre run, but dipped one tyre in the gravel at Lesmo 1, and another at Lesmo 2, eventually aborting his lap.

RED FLAG

Hadjar ran wide at the Ascari chicane, traversing the gravel, and shortly after, Antonelli made the same error. The resulting debris prompted a red flag as marshals cleared the track.

Hadjar’s team checked his floor and noticed damaged. They attempted a quick fix for the remainder of the session, with the floor to be properly fixed after the session.

Charles Leclerc was flagged for a red flag infringement, as he overtook a Sauber under the red flag conditions. However, the stewards confirmed no further action was necessary, as one driver had been on a flying lap while the other was on a slow lap.

Green flags for FP1

Once the track was cleared, drivers headed back out with 17 minutes remaining in the session.

Kimi Antonelli locked up into Turn 1, flat-spotting his tyres and abandoning his flying lap. Meanwhile, Lando Norris found himself only in P11, running on older soft tyres after also aborting a push lap earlier in the session.

Overall, the soft compound didn’t appear to deliver consistent performance across the field. Most drivers struggled to extract pace, with Leclerc being the notable exception, he maximised the grip available and surged to the top of the timesheets, going four-tenths clear of Verstappen.

Fernando Alonso ran wide, dragging gravel back onto the circuit in the process.

10 minutes left of Free Practice 1 at the Italian GP

With the last 10 minutes left on the clock, both Ferrari’s topped the timings with Hamilton leading Leclerc. Sainz followed in P3, with Verstappen in P4. Norris also improved on his previous time, moving up to P5 and only three-tenths off the top.

George Russell was noted for failing to follow race director’s instructions at the same spot where Hadjar was flagged earlier. Shortly after, a Virtual Safety Car was deployed as Russell appeared to suffer a power steering issue.

The session ended with Hamilton fastest, ahead of Leclerc in P2 and Sainz in P3.