Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton gave Ferrari an early advantage at Monza by finishing first and second in FP1. Mercedes responded in FP2, though, with George Russell moving to the top of the timing sheets ahead of Leclerc.

According to a report on Formula1.com, Charles Leclerc set the pace in the opening practice session at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari teammates locked out the top two positions at Monza, giving Leclerc the early advantage over his teammate. 

“Charles Leclerc set the pace during first practice at the Italian Grand Prix,” the Formula 1 report stated. “The Monegasque leading a Ferrari 1-2 from teammate Lewis Hamilton while Mercedes’ George Russell was third.” 

Leclerc’s lead came during a session where drivers were changing tyre compounds for their flying laps. While several drivers switched to soft tyres, Leclerc set his fastest time on the medium compound, according to a Formula1.com report published on September 4.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team driver George Russell had initially set the pace with a 1m 23.802s lap during the first part of the session. The Mercedes driver was later pushed down the order as Leclerc found more pace.

Leclerc went fastest with a 1m 23.008s lap, putting him around three-tenths clear of Russell at that stage. His time then remained unbeaten for the rest of FP1.

Hamilton continued to improve as the session entered its final stages and moved into second place. However, he finished 0.178s behind Leclerc, leaving his teammate at the top of the timing sheets.

With FP1 complete, the teams had plenty of data to study before the second session. Leclerc’s pace gave Ferrari an early benchmark, while Mercedes had another chance to close the gap in FP2.

Leclerc’s FP1 advantage did not carry over into the second session, however, as Mercedes found more pace around Monza.

Charles Leclerc slips to second as George Russell tops FP2

George Russell took the top spot in FP2, with Leclerc finishing second and Kimi Antonelli completing a Mercedes double on the podium. The result put Leclerc between the two Mercedes drivers as Friday’s running continued.

Russell posted a 1m 22.559s lap to finish 0.120s ahead of Leclerc, while Antonelli was just 0.021s behind the Ferrari driver, according to a Formula1.com report, published on September 6.

“George Russell finished fastest in Free Practice 2 ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc splitting the Mercedes drivers as Kimi Antonelli was third,” the Formula 1 report stated.

Leclerc finished 0.120s behind Russell after the Mercedes driver posted a 1m 22.559s lap. Antonelli was just 0.021s behind Leclerc, leaving the Ferrari driver in second.

Antonelli had initially led the session with a 1m 23.417s lap after the opening 10 minutes. At that stage, only 0.055s separated Antonelli, Russell and Leclerc, keeping the battle at the front closely contested.

Leclerc’s second-place finish kept him among the front-runners, but Russell’s pace gave Mercedes the edge in the latest session. With Antonelli just 0.021s behind Leclerc, the battle at the front remains close heading into the rest of the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

Written by

Rudra Dubey

Edited by

Rudra Dubey