In a thrilling start to the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Lewis Hamilton surged to the top of the timesheets, showcasing his prowess by outpacing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by a razor-thin margin of just 0.169 seconds during the opening practice session. The atmosphere was electric as Hamilton clocked an impressive 1m20.117s in the final moments of the session, reclaiming the lead from Leclerc, who had earlier stunned the competition with a blistering time that had him sitting comfortably ahead of early front-runner Max Verstappen.
The session was not without drama, as it faced an interruption due to a red flag with 25 minutes remaining. Up-and-coming driver Isack Hadjar, fresh from his podium finish at Zandvoort, created a stir when he inadvertently scattered gravel onto the track after losing control through the Variante Ascari.
As the drivers battled for supremacy on soft tyres, Verstappen initially laid down a 1m20.692s but reported a significant loss of grip, struggling to find traction after his medium-tyre run. Meanwhile, Lando Norris faced challenges of his own, as his McLaren proved unwieldy on the softs, forcing him to abandon two attempts in the early session as he sought to find his rhythm.
In a moment of relief for Leclerc, an earlier red flag incident was dismissed after he narrowly avoided a collision with a Sauber while exiting Curva Grande. Despite his efforts to brake hard, the stewards opted not to investigate, allowing him to focus on his performance. However, Hamilton soon disrupted the status quo, delivering a scorching lap as the clock wound down, only for the session to be marred by George Russell’s Mercedes losing power and coming to a halt at Curva Grande, effectively ending any hopes of further late improvements.
Carlos Sainz managed to slot himself in between the Ferraris and Verstappen, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured a commendable fifth place ahead of Norris. Alex Albon, although not setting a time on softs, still managed to finish seventh, ahead of the stranded Russell, with Fernando Alonso and Hadjar rounding out the top ten.
In a notable lineup change, Alex Dunne stepped in for championship leader Oscar Piastri, finishing 16th, while Paul Aron replaced Franco Colapinto in the Alpine, struggling with a spin at Variante della Roggia that left him at the bottom of the timesheets, trailing Ollie Bearman by a narrow margin.
As the teams regroup and prepare for the next sessions, all eyes will be on whether Hamilton can maintain his momentum and if Ferrari can reclaim their strength on home turf. The excitement is palpable as fans eagerly await what promises to be a captivating weekend of Formula 1 action.
