(Motorsport-Total.com) – After a Ferrari best time in the first free practice in Monza, George Russell (Mercedes) was fastest in the second free practice for the Italian Grand Prix. The Englishman (1:22.559 minutes) is among the closest favorites for the race on Sunday and relegated Charles Leclerc (Ferrari/+0.120) and his teammate Kimi Antonelli (+0.141) to the places on Friday afternoon.
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The reigning world champion Lando Norris (McLaren) was fourth, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton, the second Ferrari driver. However, Hamilton had to abort the lap that could have been his fastest after locking up in the first corner. After that, the tires had already passed their peak. Gap: 0.457 seconds.
Nevertheless, Antonelli suspects: “Ferrari has definitely made a step with their new engine. In terms of speed, they are now on par with us. And we know how good their car is in the corners.”
Max Verstappen skipped the first practice in favor of Friday driver Ayumu Iwasa and struggled with his Red Bull at the start of the session. He said he had “absolutely no downforce,” for example, during his very first run. Later he complained that the car “now bounces a lot more.” At the end of the 60 minutes, he finished ninth with a gap of 0.818 seconds.
Verstappen was thus not the fastest driver from the Red Bull squad – Arvid Lindblad from the Racing Bulls took seventh place – but at least faster than his interim teammate Liam Lawson (12th/+1.101). The New Zealander is stepping in for regular driver Isack Hadjar for the second time in Monza, who is still suffering from a wrist injury.
Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), the only German in the current Formula 1 starting field, was 13th with a gap of 1.173 seconds. He was 0.044 seconds faster in direct comparison than his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto from Brazil (15th), who complained about engine misfires at the end of the session during the long-run tests.
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Result: 2nd Free Practice GP Italy
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Who was fastest in the long-run simulations?
The last 20 minutes, as so often, were not about chasing the absolute best time, but about optimal race preparation. And in the so-called long runs, two teams emerged as clear favorites for Sunday: Mercedes and Ferrari.
Both Russell and Antonelli managed an average pace of 1:26.2 minutes on their long runs, with Antonelli (19 laps) doing the significantly longer stint than Russell (12 laps). Both Mercedes drivers practiced for the race on the hard tires, by the way.
Only once did question marks briefly arise at the Mercedes command post when Russell radioed near the end of the training: “Keep an eye on the front suspension. I have strange vibrations when braking.”
Nevertheless, Mercedes is confident: “We have a few parts for Monza, part of a low-downforce package,” says deputy team principal Bradley Lord. “Some of them have already been used at other races because they have an overall benefit, some are specific to Monza. We know we have a good power unit. Kimi has a fresh one in. We should be fast on the straights. We know it’s tight, but we have actually been in the mix at every race. I have no reason to believe this could be different here.”
Hamilton drove an eleven-lap stint on the soft tires – without his lap times dropping off significantly towards the end. He also recorded an average of 1:26.2 minutes. And Leclerc was on average two tenths of a second slower on the soft tires in direct comparison.
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Thus, Mercedes and Ferrari were more competitive than McLaren and Verstappen. The latter did not do a classic long run at all but completed a total of five stints between five and seven laps.
Antonelli swears again: Is he facing a penalty?
A spicy situation occurred after about fifteen minutes when Antonelli caught up to a slower car at the Alboreto curve and apparently had to lift off. “What an idiot! Absolute idiot,” the Mercedes driver complained on the radio. And that was just one day after he said “Shit” in an official FIA press conference in a thoughtless moment.
But the FIA already turned a blind eye on Thursday and accepted Antonelli’s immediate apology for the unfortunate choice of words despite the “swearing ban,” and no further investigation was initially announced for the radio message during Friday practice.
Antonelli is “already penalized” at his home Grand Prix anyway: Due to a tactical engine change, he will be moved back ten positions on the starting grid for Sunday.
However, the FIA stewards are dealing with another incident after the session. Norris had to go onto the grass once to avoid a collision with the slower Aston Martin of Lance Stroll (22nd/+2.694). A situation the stewards will only assess after hearing from those involved.
Formula 1 Monza schedule: What’s next?
After the F1 sprint in Zandvoort, Monza is again a classic Grand Prix weekend in the traditional format. This means that on Saturday there is no F1 sprint but another free practice session. The session starts at 12:30 CEST.
Qualifying for the Grand Prix takes place on Saturday from 16:00, and the race start on Sunday is scheduled for 15:00. The race weekend will be broadcast on Sky (Germany), ServusTV (Austria), and SRF (Switzerland) (Here is the complete TV overview for Formula 1 in Monza!).
Fans can follow the usual Formula 1 live streams on the Formel1.de YouTube channel on Saturday and Sunday evenings. With a summary of the events and analyses well beyond the end of the TV broadcasts. Host Kevin Scheuren presents the streams again with editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervoll as an expert.
The provisional start time of the live streams on Saturday and Sunday is set for 21:00 CEST. (Here is the Formula 1 calendar 2026!)
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Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: The second practice in Monza now live!