Ferrari Dominates FP1 at Monza with Leclerc Leading the Charge
Charles Leclerc lit up Monza on Friday, leading a Ferrari one-two in first practice as the Scuderia’s new power unit made an immediate statement at their home Grand Prix.
The Monegasque clocked a 1:23.008, enough to put him 0.173s clear of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with George Russell another tenth back in third for Mercedes. On paper, it was only FP1. Around here, it felt like more than that.
Ferrari’s home gamble lands early blow
Ferrari arrived at Monza with the second and final engine upgrade they are allowed this season, pushed into service after FIA measurements confirmed their power unit lagged behind Red Bull and Mercedes. They doubled down with a set of circuit-specific chassis tweaks aimed squarely at high-speed efficiency.
The first readout could hardly have been better.
Leclerc and Hamilton both set their best times on the medium compound. Russell’s lap came on the softer, theoretically quicker tyre – yet it wasn’t enough to dislodge the red cars from the top. On a Friday where fuel loads and engine modes remain hidden, the optics still favoured Ferrari.
The tifosi will not get carried away on a practice sheet alone. But seeing a Ferrari-led timesheet at Monza, with a fresh engine under the engine cover and the car visibly hooked up through the Lesmos and Ascari, changes the mood of a weekend in an instant.
Antonelli lurking despite back-row penalty
Behind the Ferrari story sits the quiet menace of Kimi Antonelli. The world championship leader, already hit with a back-of-the-grid start for Sunday after exceeding his season engine allocation, ended the session fifth for Mercedes.
For Antonelli, one-lap pace is almost irrelevant this weekend. He knows he will be coming from the back regardless of qualifying. That context makes his low-key fifth place more intriguing. If Mercedes are hiding anything, it is likely on his side of the garage.
Just ahead of him on the timesheets, Liam Lawson delivered an eye-catching fourth for Red Bull in a car that, for now, belongs to neither of the team’s confirmed 2026 race drivers. Behind Antonelli, Lando Norris – fresh from back-to-back wins that have dragged him back into the title conversation – was sixth for McLaren.
The standings underline Antonelli’s control of the season: he leads both Russell and Hamilton by 59 points, with Norris 83 points adrift in fourth. Those numbers will shape every strategic call Mercedes and McLaren make over the next 48 hours.
Red Bull reshuffle and rookie auditions
Red Bull’s line-up for FP1 was a glimpse of the future rather than the present. Lawson stepped in and delivered, his fourth place a timely reminder of his credentials as the team weighs its long-term options.
On the other side of the garage, Ayumu Iwasa took over from Max Verstappen and finished 17th, one of several rookies handed valuable mileage in a packed opening session.
Paul Aron emerged as the most convincing of that rookie group, putting his Alpine into 10th and looking assured from the moment he left the pit lane. Luke Browning, another of Britain’s rising names, took 15th for Williams, while Colton Herta’s much-anticipated run with Cadillac was cut short by a technical issue before he could build any rhythm.
Isack Hadjar, still sidelined with a wrist injury suffered over the summer break, missed a second consecutive race weekend, allowing Lawson another chance to strengthen his case.
A weekend set to build
Ferrari’s early punch has given Monza exactly what it craves: hope. The raw numbers say one thing – Leclerc top, Hamilton close, Russell in touch, Antonelli biding his time – but the underlying stories point to a far more complex weekend.
Ferrari have fired their shot with the new engine. Mercedes may be holding something back. Red Bull are juggling the present while auditioning the future. And the championship leader will start from the back on Sunday, forced into an all-or-nothing charge through the field.
For now, the stopwatch belongs to Leclerc. The real question is whether Ferrari’s home upgrade can still sing when the lights go out and the season’s most unforgiving straight-line test begins in earnest.
