Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Delight Ferrari Fans
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc thrilled Ferrari fans with an impressive 1-2 finish in the first practice session for the Monza Grand Prix.
In his first appearance at Monza wearing the iconic red of Ferrari, Hamilton, a seven-time world champion and five-time winner of the Italian Grand Prix, set the fastest lap time of one minute and 20.117 seconds on the treacherous “Pista Mágica” (Magic Pasta).
Hamilton’s Performance and Ferrari’s Morale Boost
Leclerc, last year’s winner, was 0.169 seconds slower, and Carlos Sainz finished third for Williams, 0.533 seconds behind the leaders.
Hamilton, who has yet to climb onto the Ferrari podium, received a much-needed morale boost from the opening session on this sunny Friday. The team had suffered a double retirement in Holland the previous weekend, with both cars crashing out.
Hamilton will face a five-place grid penalty for the Sunday starting lineup, as he carries over the penalty from Zandvoort.
Verstappen and Norris’ Performance
Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion for Red Bull, was fourth, just ahead of Italian debutant Kimi Raikkonen from Mercedes.
Lando Norris, McLaren’s title contender, finished sixth. His teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri watched from the sidelines, as Irish Formula 2 driver Alex Dunne took his place and finished in 16th position.
Alex Albon secured seventh for Williams, with George Russell from Mercedes in eighth and Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin in ninth. French driver Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls completed the top ten.
Incident and Grid Penalties
French driver Hadjar, who was third in the previous race – his first F1 podium – caused a red flag when he crashed in the Ascari chicane 25 minutes from the end, scattering gravel across the track.
Alpine’s reserve driver, Estonian Paul Aron, substituted for Argentine Franco Colapinto in the session and finished last.
McLaren’s Pursuit for Sixth Consecutive Victory
McLaren, leading the Constructors’ Championship, aims for its sixth consecutive victory on Sunday. Piastri leads the team with 34 points, 16 points ahead of Norris after 15 of the 24 races this season.
