Italian Grand Prix FP2: Lando Norris Fastest at Monza as Charles Leclerc Leads Ferrari Charge
Italian Grand Prix FP2 Results at Monza
Lando Norris set the pace in second practice for the Italian Grand Prix on Friday, rebounding from his Zandvoort heartbreak to lead the field around Monza’s Temple of Speed. In a tightly contested F1 Italian Grand Prix FP2 session, the McLaren driver—whose title push took a hit with an engine failure in the Netherlands—edged Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Carlos Sainz an impressive third for Williams. Championship leader Oscar Piastri, fresh off his seventh win of the season last time out, ended the session fourth as the Italian GP practice times underscored a close fight at the front.
Norris Rebounds Strongly
Norris enters the 15th round of 24 trailing McLaren teammate Piastri by 34 points, but his Friday form offers a timely boost as he looks to swing momentum back his way. Under warm, sunny conditions, Norris’ late run topped a tightly packed order that saw Lewis Hamilton finish fifth—within two tenths of the benchmark—signaling competitive Italian Grand Prix qualifying prospects after a productive day of Monza long-run pace and one-lap performance analysis.
Hamilton’s Ferrari Challenge
Hamilton, making his first Monza appearance as a Ferrari driver, showed speed across both sessions after setting the early pace in FP1. The seven-time world champion has characterized his debut campaign in red as an "emotional rollercoaster." He carries a five-place grid penalty into Sunday for a yellow-flag infringement at the previous round, a race that ended in the barriers. Before the summer break in Hungary, Hamilton admitted he felt "useless," and even urged his team to replace him after qualifying 12th and finishing in the same position. Despite that, Friday counted among his stronger outings this year; though fifth in FP2, he was right on the leading pace and continues to chip away at Leclerc’s advantage in qualifying and race-day head-to-heads, a key storyline in Ferrari’s home race at Monza.
Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams in the Mix
Ferrari’s home crowd had reason for optimism with Leclerc second and Hamilton close behind, while Sainz’s third in the Williams underlined the Grove squad’s upward trajectory at high-speed venues. Piastri, meanwhile, kept his title bid steady with a tidy fourth, ensuring McLaren remains firmly in the mix at the front. For fans tracking Italian Grand Prix practice results and team form guides, the Williams straight-line speed and McLaren’s consistency stood out in a field separated by small margins.
Mercedes Struggles in FP2
It was a rough day for Mercedes. Teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli slid off at the second Lesmo and beached his car in the gravel less than 10 minutes into FP2, compounding a team headache that began with George Russell’s engine failure in the opening session. Russell recovered to place 10th in the later running, only four tenths off the top despite the disrupted program, but the combination of the Antonelli FP2 incident at Monza and Russell’s FP1 power unit issue left Mercedes chasing setup time and reliability heading toward qualifying.
Italian GP Qualifying Outlook
With long-run data gathered and one-lap pace tightly bunched, qualifying at Monza promises to be a knife-edge fight—Norris aiming to convert Friday authority, Ferrari energized at home with Leclerc and Hamilton pressing, and Piastri poised to protect his championship cushion. As Italian Grand Prix FP2 highlights suggest, the battle among McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, and Mercedes could hinge on slipstream management, tire warm-up, and clean execution in the Temple of Speed.
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