Leclerc leads Ferrari one-two in first Monza practice

Charles Leclerc led Lewis Hamilton in a dominant Ferrari one-two during the first practice session for the team's home Italian Grand Prix at the historic Monza circuit on Friday. Leclerc's fastest lap of 1:23.008 was just 0.173 seconds quicker than Hamilton's best time, meeting the expectations of thousands of passionate Ferrari supporters, clad in red shirts and waving flags, who filled the iconic 'Temple of Motorsport' to capacity.

The Frenchman's impressive performance at the former royal park outside Milan suggested the team had brought an engine upgrade to the race track, leaving other teams trailing. Mercedes' George Russell, currently second in the standings and equal on points with Hamilton, finished third, 0.304 seconds off the pace. Liam Lawson, filling in for the injured Isack Hadjar for Red Bull, placed fourth, 0.425 seconds slower than Leclerc.

Kimi Antila, Mercedes' championship leader and the first Italian to lead the championship at Monza in 73 years, was set to start from the back of the grid due to an engine change, while McLaren's world champion Lando Norris, and Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad completed the top eight. The practice session was briefly red-flagged when Cadillac's development driver Colton Herta, filling in for the injured Sergio Perez, came to a halt on the track.