Ferrari turn Monza red with statement Leclerc-Hamilton FP1 one-two

The session immediately saw Ferrari and Mercedes battling at the sharp end, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli initially setting the fastest times on the soft tyres. Charles Leclerc then moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:23.008 on the mediums, while Lewis Hamilton slotted in ahead of Antonelli.

It proved to be a difficult start for Colton Herta, whose FP1 outing with Cadillac lasted less than half an hour. The American was forced to stop running due to a suspected hydraulic issue, with the team now investigating the cause of the problem.

Hamilton subsequently improved again, moving ahead of Russell, who was just behind his Mercedes teammate, to complete a Ferrari one-two with around ten minutes remaining in the session.

In the end, the order at the top remained unchanged, with Ferrari completing an impressive FP1 one-two on home soil at Monza. Leclerc remained at the top of the timesheets with a 1:23.008, finishing 0.173s clear of teammate Hamilton.

George Russell was Ferrari's closest challenger in third, but the Mercedes driver ended the session 0.304s behind Leclerc and 0.131s adrift of Hamilton. Liam Lawson secured fourth place, 0.425s off the benchmark.

Attention was also firmly on the other home hero, Kimi Antonelli, who had featured towards the top of the timesheets throughout the session. The Italian eventually settled for fifth in his Mercedes, 0.636s behind Leclerc, with Lando Norris following in sixth, 0.711s off the pace. Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto took seventh and eighth respectively, while Franco Colapinto finished ninth. Paul Aron completed the top 10 with a 1:24.177, ending FP1 1.169s behind Leclerc and narrowly ahead of Oscar Piastri.

A major development also emerged during FP1, as the FIA International Court of Appeal announced the outcome of Red Bull Racing and McLaren's appeal over Pierre Gasly's Monaco GP penalties. The Court ruled in favour of the two teams, reinstating the Alpine driver's two five-second penalties that had previously been removed following a Right of Review. As a result, Gasly drops from third to seventh, with Isack Hadjar inheriting the podium once again.