Monza’s first real answers: who looked strong in Italian GP practice?

Monza’s first two practice sessions offered a useful, if incomplete, reality check. Ferrari opened its home weekend with encouraging signs in FP1, George Russell then set the pace for Mercedes in FP2, and the long-run picture that followed pointed to a weekend where qualifying will matter heavily at a circuit that can turn small gains into big results.

That is the central takeaway from Friday: there were flashes of pace, but no clean verdict. The headline times told a story of momentum swings rather than one team establishing control. Ferrari’s start to the weekend went down well with the home crowd, but Mercedes’ response in the second session was a serious answer. Russell’s FP2 benchmark ahead of Charles Leclerc suggested Mercedes had the speed to threaten at a circuit where low-drag efficiency matters more than almost anywhere else on the calendar. The results sheet from practice also underlined just how difficult it is to separate the genuine contenders from those still working through different run plans, tyre preparation, and fuel loads.

FP1 had already hinted that Ferrari might be in the mix at its home race, and that matters because Monza is not a venue where teams can rely on goodwill or atmosphere to make up the difference. The Italian squad’s early pace was enough to keep expectations elevated, even if practice always carries caveats about programme differences and fuel loads. In other words, Ferrari had reason to be upbeat after the first session, but not reason to declare the weekend under control. The home support may have amplified the sense of optimism, yet the more important point is that the car looked competitive enough to justify belief before the real pressure of qualifying arrives.

Mercedes’ FP2 showing was the biggest competitive swing of the day. Russell headed the session and Leclerc was the lead Ferrari representative behind him, which is a strong headline for the Silver Arrows in front of Ferrari’s home crowd. Kimi Antonelli was also part of the conversation in the second session, reinforcing the sense that Mercedes had arrived at Monza with a package capable of fighting near the front. None of that guarantees pole position or race victory, of course, but it does mean Ferrari’s early optimism was quickly tested. It also suggests Mercedes may have found a stronger window once the track evolved between sessions, which is exactly the sort of detail that can matter when the field is this close.