Ferrari Take the Morning, Mercedes Take the Afternoon — and the Points Leader Is Starting Last

Charles Leclerc led an all-Ferrari FP1 in front of the tifosi; George Russell answered with a 1m22.559s in FP2. Kimi Antonelli was third and is 59 points clear of the field — and will line up at the back on Sunday.

FP1 belonged to the home team. Leclerc went quickest on mediums with a 1m23.008s, Lewis Hamilton slotted in 0.173s behind for a Ferrari one-two, and Russell was third at +0.304s. Liam Lawson — in the Red Bull again with Isack Hadjar still sidelined — was fourth, Antonelli fifth, Lando Norris sixth. Colton Herta's Cadillac stopped with a hydraulic problem after barely fifteen minutes, hours after he had put his F2 car into the wall at the second Lesmo.

FP2 flipped it. Russell put a 1m22.559s on the board and nobody beat it: Leclerc within 0.120s, Antonelli within 0.141s, Norris fourth, Hamilton fifth after running wide at the first chicane. Oscar Piastri was sixth and spent the last ten minutes nose-to-tail with Norris in what looked far more like a race simulation than a lap chase. Arvid Lindblad seventh, Oliver Bearman eighth with a Ferrari power unit upgrade and new Haas aero, Max Verstappen ninth — on the radio about downforce, then brakes, then bouncing. Lance Stroll went to the stewards over a Turn 1 moment that sent Norris across the grass.

All of which is prologue to the number that decides the weekend. Mercedes are fitting Antonelli a fifth internal combustion engine plus a new energy store and control electronics — enough penalties to send him to the back of the grid at his home Grand Prix. Andrew Shovlin called Monza "an energy-starved circuit with four overtaking zones — a driver cannot defend all of them." Antonelli leads Russell and Hamilton by 59; Norris, 83 back, has the clearest run at closing it.

The Paddock Post wire