Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Make Statement in Monza as Ferrari Dominate First Practice

Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc topped the charts at the end of the first free practice session ahead of the Scuderia's home race, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The fastest driver in the initial 60-minute practice session at the Temple of Speed was seven-time champion Hamilton, who clocked a lap time of 1:20.117 on Pirelli's soft tires. The Briton outpaced his team-mate and last year's Monza winner, Leclerc, by 0.169 seconds. Leclerc's best time was also set on the soft compound for this weekend.

Carlos Sainz, Hamilton's predecessor at Ferrari, completed the top three, trailing Hamilton by 0.533 seconds. Max Verstappen and the sole home representative, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, rounded out the top five. World title contender Lando Norris finished sixth, a significant 0.904 seconds behind Hamilton.

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His McLaren teammate and current Formula 1 championship leader, Oscar Piastri, sat out the first practice session at Monza. Alex Dunn took his place in the cockpit, setting the 16th fastest time. The Irishman wasn't the only young driver participating in the initial 60-minute practice in Italy. Paul Aron also took part, replacing Franco Colapinto in the Alpine lineup and finishing last.

The Estonian spun at the second chicane early in the session but managed to continue. The session was red-flagged once, shortly after its midpoint, due to gravel scattered at Ascari following Isack Hadjar's excursion through the run-off area.

When the session was halted, Leclerc overtook Nico Hülkenberg under red flag conditions, an incident that was reviewed by the stewards. Fortunately for the Monegasque and all the tifosi in the stands, they ruled that the Ferrari driver did not deserve a penalty, as he realistically had no chance to avoid overtaking the Sauber driver, who was moving at a much slower speed.

Towards the very end of the session, George Russell pulled off the track just before the second chicane with a power unit issue. This could prove critical for the Briton, who has already used all his permitted engines and will face a grid penalty if he needs to use a new one.

The Italian Grand Prix weekend, Round 16 of the 2025 Formula 1 season, continues at 6:00 PM Bulgarian time with the second free practice session at Monza.