Ferrari has started the Italian Grand Prix weekend on the right foot, shaking off the disastrous beginning seen at Zandvoort. While Lando Norris was fastest on single-lap pace, Max Verstappen impressed on long runs, leaving the fight wide open at Monza.
It was once again a McLaren that topped the Friday timesheets, this time with Lando Norris, but without the same margin of dominance displayed at Zandvoort and Budapest. That has created a greater sense of uncertainty about how the rest of the weekend may unfold. Behind him was the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who opened his home Grand Prix with an aggressive approach and strong pace. A close battle is shaping up between the Monegasque driver and the papaya duo, with Max Verstappen also looking ready to join the fight thanks to his impressive race pace.
McLaren chasing straight-line speed
The reigning world champions ended Friday with Norris at the top, but the result did little to reassure the Woking camp. As usual, the McLaren cars looked strong in the corners, particularly through the Lesmo sequence, but they continued to lack straight-line speed. The new front wing designed for Monza, chosen over the Spa version tested earlier in the day, was not enough to prevent the papaya cars from losing ground on the straights. Norris took the headlines with a very clean lap, but there was a clear impression that the car is not as easy to handle as it has been in previous weekends.
The lack of medium-speed corners, which were plentiful at Zandvoort and a key strength of the MCL39, meant McLaren could not enjoy the same advantage here at Monza as they had in the last two Grands Prix. Rivals were much closer, and it is not impossible that other teams could insert themselves into the title battle. Oscar Piastri, current championship leader, finished almost two tenths behind Norris after missing FP1 to make room for Dunne. However, the Australian is known for his ability to observe, refine his driving and improve over the course of a weekend, so he has every chance of recovering from the initial deficit.
Ferrari close behind
The Scuderia Ferrari approached its home race aggressively, as highlighted by the data from Friday practice, which showed the team running a more aggressive engine map right from FP1. That explained the half-second advantage over the competition early on. Ferrari made sure to start with a qualifying-style setup in order to reduce uncertainties going into Saturday. In FP2, Leclerc finished just 83 thousandths behind Norris, though he struggled somewhat to find the right rhythm. His first flying lap on soft tyres was well off Norris’s pace, something that Leclerc himself suggested was down to poor tyre preparation – a reminder of how crucial it is to execute every detail perfectly.
It is only the first day, but Ferrari seems to be starting from a much stronger base compared to what team principal Frédéric Vasseur called the “worst Friday in three years” at Zandvoort. The Maranello squad is betting heavily on straight-line speed, once again bringing back the rear wing used in the 2024 edition of Monza, where Charles Leclerc claimed victory. Naturally, Ferrari will have to rely primarily on the Monegasque, since Lewis Hamilton will serve a five-place grid penalty. The British driver, however, remains just a tenth behind his teammate, reinforcing the growing confidence with the SF-25 shown in the Netherlands, even if handling the car in low-downforce trim remains tricky.
Verstappen right in the mix
Red Bull and Max Verstappen also started the weekend well. The Dutchman finished sixth in the timesheets, just two tenths off Norris, but stood out especially on race pace. The RB21 finally carried an aerodynamic package properly suited to Monza, something the Milton Keynes team lacked until 2024. In low-downforce conditions, the car came alive, working in a balance window much more aligned with Verstappen’s preferences. “Super Max” still complained of a car that was very low, stiff, and harsh over the kerbs, but those same issues were also felt by his rivals.
The real surprise of the day, however, was Carlos Sainz, who finished third behind Norris and Leclerc. The Williams car is known for being particularly efficient on high-speed tracks, and that could allow Sainz to trouble the frontrunners in qualifying. Mercedes, meanwhile, appeared more concerned: George Russell finished only tenth, limited by the lack of a Monza-specific aero package. Getting back into Q3 will be even harder for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who missed FP2 after a mistake and will therefore have less time to work on single-lap performance before Saturday’s final practice session, still needing to test his long-run pace.
Three compounds in play
Race pace simulations confirmed Verstappen as the strongest on long runs, with the fastest laps when he was not caught in traffic behind the likes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Norris still showed the strength of the McLaren, while Piastri appeared to have more work to do. His times were nonetheless very close to those of Carlos Sainz, confirming Williams’s competitiveness.
Ferrari and Mercedes, however, offered no direct comparison, as both teams skipped the Medium compound in their programmes. Russell was faster than Hamilton on the Hard tyres, while Leclerc was the only driver in the field to run on the Softs. The work plans suggest all three compounds are in play, which should spice up strategy even in what looks likely to be a one-stop race. Starting at the front will be crucial, pushing every team to work overnight to extract those few thousandths that could make all the difference in qualifying.
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