Monza has a way of making Friday feel consequential. Every lap is amplified by the grandstands, every flash of red becomes a promise, and every tow down the long straights hints at the qualifying games still to come. On the opening day of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari supplied the emotion; Mercedes left with the fastest lap.

Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two in the first hour with a 1:23.008, set on the medium tyre while several rivals chased performance on the soft. Hamilton finished 0.173 seconds behind and Russell was third. Four hours later, Russell moved the benchmark to 1:22.559 in FP2, edging Leclerc by 0.120 seconds as Kimi Antonelli placed the second Mercedes only 0.021 seconds further back.

FP1 — Ferrari gives Monza the opening it wanted

The first session began in hot, sunny conditions and with four rookies in unfamiliar seats. Ayumu Iwasa replaced Max Verstappen at Red Bull, Luke Browning took Alex Albon’s Williams, Paul Aron drove Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and Colton Herta stepped into Sergio Perez’s Cadillac. Traffic was immediate, a familiar Monza problem made more acute by the need to prepare a lap and find a slipstream.

Russell set the early rhythm before Lando Norris briefly moved ahead. The session then lost momentum when Herta stopped on track after Cadillac instructed him to halt the car with a suspected hydraulic problem. A Virtual Safety Car became a red flag while the stricken MAC-26 was recovered; Herta completed only five laps.

When running resumed, the usual soft-tyre qualifying simulations did not decide the order. Leclerc’s medium-tyre lap displaced Russell and survived the remainder of the session. Hamilton’s late improvement completed the Ferrari one-two, while Liam Lawson impressed in fourth for Red Bull and Antonelli rounded out the top five.

FP2 — Mercedes turns the temperature down

FP2 restored all 22 regular drivers and offered the most relevant conditions of the day. Antonelli, Russell and Leclerc were separated by just 0.055 seconds after ten minutes, before the field moved toward low-fuel runs on soft tyres.

Antonelli was the first to break into the 1:22s, despite aborting his initial attempt in Parabolica traffic. Russell also reset his first soft-tyre run for a front-wing adjustment, then lowered the pace. Leclerc briefly reclaimed first with a 1:22.679, but Russell answered with the decisive 1:22.559.

The margins were tight at the front: Russell, Leclerc and Antonelli fitted inside 0.141 seconds. Norris was fourth for McLaren, Hamilton fifth and Oscar Piastri sixth. That left three teams represented in the first six positions — a compact order, but one led by a Mercedes that looked increasingly composed as the session progressed.

“It’s dangerous.”

— Lando Norris, after avoiding Lance Stroll in FP2

The tow-seeking created its own hazards. Norris took to the grass under braking for the first chicane when Stroll moved onto the racing line. Leclerc later spun at the second chicane but rejoined without damage. Franco Colapinto had a high-speed excursion at Ascari, while Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi stopped early with an engine issue.

The warning signs behind the headline

Verstappen’s return did not produce an immediate challenge. He reported a lack of downforce, received a front-wing change and ended FP2 ninth, 0.818 seconds off Russell. Red Bull’s Friday was therefore split between Lawson’s encouraging fourth place in FP1 and a less convincing second session once the full field returned.

Further back, Williams placed Albon and Carlos Sainz 16th and 17th in FP2. Aston Martin occupied two of the final four places, with Fernando Alonso 19th and Stroll 22nd. Cadillac’s Perez and Valtteri Bottas were 20th and 21st, leaving three teams with significant work before qualifying.

A red Friday, with a silver edge

Ferrari achieved what Friday at Monza demands: it gave the crowd a reason to believe. Leclerc was quickest in FP1, second in FP2 and consistently at ease near the front. Hamilton backed him up, especially in the opening session. Yet Russell’s final lap placed Mercedes at the centre of the qualifying conversation, and Antonelli’s pace underlined that the threat was not confined to one car.

Friday practice is evidence, not a verdict. Fuel loads, engine modes, tyre preparation and slipstream positioning can all bend the Monza order. The clearest conclusion is therefore the simplest: Ferrari and Mercedes have arrived with speed, McLaren remains within striking distance, and the Temple of Speed has already made traffic management part of the competitive equation.