Ferrari 1-2 in Free Practice as Hamilton Tops Timesheet in Monza
Lewis Hamilton brought a wave of optimism to Ferrari fans as he topped the timesheets in the first Free Practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The seven-time world champion clocked a fastest lap of 1:20.117, finishing 0.169 seconds ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc, who won last year’s race for the Scuderia.
Hamilton’s performance comes in a season that has been less than stellar for the 40-year-old driver, who has struggled to secure a podium finish thus far. Currently sitting 200 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, Hamilton faces a five-place grid penalty this weekend due to an infraction during the Dutch Grand Prix, where he failed to slow down in a yellow flag zone.
Despite these challenges, Hamilton’s speed in the session offered a glimmer of hope for Ferrari, especially as the iconic “Temple of Speed” hosts one of the most anticipated races on the Formula One calendar. The practice session was briefly interrupted for about 10 minutes when French rookie Isack Hadjar slid into the gravel, scattering debris across the track. Hadjar, who celebrated his first F1 podium last weekend in the Netherlands, had to recover from the mishap.
In a notable twist, championship contender Piastri did not participate in the first practice session. Instead, Irish driver Alex Dunne filled in for Piastri, finishing nearly 1.5 seconds behind Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris, who trails Piastri by 34 points in the drivers’ standings, managed to secure the sixth-fastest time, 0.904 seconds off Hamilton’s pace.
