Charles Leclerc leads the way in at Monza first practice

Scuderia Ferrari’s Italian Grand Prix got off to the perfect start as Charles Leclerc topped the time sheets of Free Practice One while his teammate, Carlos Sainz, was second fastest in the opening session of the weekend.

After the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, all team personnel across the grid wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence as a mark of respect. Tributes were also visible on a number of cars as FIA Formula 1 World Championship pays tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

Championship leader Max Verstappen finished the first practice session in fifth-place, over four-tenths of a second behind the fastest time of the session. The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver was on course for a time that would have challenged Leclerc’s fastest lap but a slow-moving Lando Norris at the Curva Parabolica heavily compromised the Dutchmen’s lap time.

Once again Sergio Perez finds himself trailing his teammate, as the Mexican set the fourteenth-fastest time of the session, over eight-tenths of a second behind his teammate.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team enjoyed a positive start to the weekend as both drivers were able to finish the session inside the top four. George Russell was third fastest, two and a half tenths behind the fastest time of the session, while Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest, just over a tenth behind the pace set by his Mercedes teammate.

Hamilton is set to start Sunday’s Grand Prix towards the back of the grid as the British driver will be taking new engine components and is joined by the likes of both Red-Bull drivers, Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda in taking new engine components this weekend.

BWT Alpine F1 Team have enjoyed a successful return to Formula 1 action since the summer break and the Enstone-based team appear to be taking their impressive form into Monza this weekend. Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso set the sixth and seventh fastest times of the session respectively, with Alonso just a few hundredths of a second behind his French teammate.

Antonio Giovinazzi and Nyck de Vries ran for Haas F1 Team and Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team in the opening session of the weekend as Aston Martin completed the first of their two mandated young driver sessions across the season. Giovinazzi was eighteenth-fastest, while de Vries was a place behind in nineteenth. The Dutchmen who was stepping for Sebastian Vettel for Free Practice One, looked set for a quick time towards the end of the session but a lock-up into Variante Ascari saw de Vries have a trip across the gravel but able to get his AMR22 back on track in one piece.

Credit: Daimler AG