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Lewis Hamilton made the perfect start to Ferrari’s home weekend at Monza by topping the timesheets in Free Practice 1 for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix, edging out teammate Charles Leclerc in front of an ecstatic Tifosi. The Briton’s 1:20.117 on used soft tyres was enough to lead a Ferrari one-two, with Carlos Sainz impressing for Williams in third.
The opening session at the Temple of Speed was far from straightforward, with multiple yellow flags, a red flag stoppage, and a late Virtual Safety Car. The track, still green after heavy overnight rain, proved tricky — particularly on the soft compound — and several drivers found the gravel.
Ferrari’s day began with optimism despite the shadow of last weekend’s Zandvoort double DNF. Both Hamilton and Leclerc ran competitive laps on mediums before switching to softs for qualifying simulations. Leclerc briefly topped the times, but Hamilton’s late flyer — despite being on a well-used set of C5s — secured P1 by 0.169s.
Sainz, running an alternative tyre programme for Williams, showed strong pace on both hards and softs, slotting into third ahead of Brando Badoer (standing in for Verstappen) in fourth. Kimi Antonelli recovered from an early lock-up to take fifth for Mercedes, just ahead of Lando Norris, who struggled to hook up a clean lap.
Ferrari’s pace will be the headline, but the detail is even more encouraging for the Scuderia. Hamilton’s lap came on tyres with seven laps of wear, suggesting there’s more time to come. Leclerc, meanwhile, topped the speed trap in the first sector and was second-fastest overall in all three sectors, underlining the SF-25’s low-drag efficiency.
Williams’ performance is another major talking point. Sainz’s long-run pace on the hard tyre looked competitive, and Voisin’s P7 on hards hints at strong straight-line speed — a known Monza advantage for the Grove team.
McLaren’s muted showing may be misleading. Norris’ best lap was compromised, and with Oscar Piastri sitting out FP1 for Alex Dunne, the team appeared focused on data gathering rather than headline times.
Mercedes will be concerned. Antonelli’s lock-up and Russell’s stoppage disrupted their programme, and while the W16 showed decent top speed, the balance looked tricky in the low-downforce configuration.
The Tifosi have reason to dream after FP1 — but with conditions set to evolve and rivals yet to show their full hand, the fight for Monza supremacy is only just beginning.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.