Charles Leclerc lit up first practice at the Italian Grand Prix, topping the timesheets and dragging Ferrari straight to the front on home soil. The tifosi have seen this script before, but they will never tire of it: a red car fastest at Monza, and this time backed up by a familiar heavyweight.
Lewis Hamilton made it a Ferrari one-two, underlining the strength of the Maranello team from the opening laps of the weekend. On a circuit that punishes any lack of efficiency or power, Ferrari’s early statement will echo through every garage in the pit lane.
Behind them, George Russell led the response for Mercedes with the fourth-fastest time, keeping the silver cars firmly in the mix. Between the established contenders, one name jumped out: Liam Lawson. Back in the Red Bull cockpit in place of the injured Isack Hadjar, Lawson wasted no time reminding the paddock of his pedigree, slotting himself between Russell and the rest of the pack with an eye-catching lap.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli ended the session fifth for Mercedes, a solid and controlled start from the driver carrying the weight of the title fight. Just behind, Lando Norris – chasing a third consecutive victory this weekend – rounded out the top six. His presence near the sharp end hints at another looming threat once the real fight begins in qualifying and on Sunday.
Among the rookies, Alpine’s Paul Aron delivered the standout performance. He steered his car into 10th place, a composed effort in a session where inexperience is usually exposed rather than rewarded.
Not everyone enjoyed a smooth opening. Colton Herta’s third FP1 outing with Cadillac unravelled almost before it began. His car broke down after only five laps, cutting his track time to a brief and frustrating cameo and leaving the team with more questions than data.
Ferrari, though, walk away from FP1 with exactly what they wanted: clear air at the top of the times and a crowd ready to believe this might be their weekend.
