MONZA, Italy Italian GP FP1 ended with a Ferrari 1-2 on Friday as Charles Leclerc set a 1m 23.008s lap to beat teammate Lewis Hamilton by 0.173 seconds.
Mercedes driver George Russell finished third, 0.304 seconds behind Leclerc, while Red Bull’s Liam Lawson took fourth. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was fifth, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris in sixth.
Leclerc set his fastest time on the medium tyre while several rivals were using softs. Oscar Piastri finished 11th in the second McLaren.
Ferrari are running an upgraded power unit at their home event. Leclerc said before the weekend that the update should deliver additional power as the team targets its third victory of the 2026 season.
The SF-26 is also carrying a special Michael Schumacher-inspired livery, marking 30 years since Schumacher’s first Monza victory for Ferrari in 1996 and his first season with the team.
Antonelli entered Monza with 242 championship points, 59 ahead of Russell and Hamilton, who are tied on 183. The Italian will start the Grand Prix from the back after Mercedes opted for a full power-unit change.
Read: Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Win Ends Antonelli F1 Streak
Four rookies also participated in FP1, with Ayumu Iwasa, Luke Browning, Paul Aron and Colton Herta replacing regular drivers for the session. Herta’s Cadillac stopped with a suspected hydraulic problem, briefly bringing out a red flag.
Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, September 5, with the 53-lap Italian Grand Prix at Monza set for Sunday, September 6.
