Italian Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Hamilton leads the way

Formula 1 returns to Italy at the Monza circuit with the tifosi after a year of absence due to the pandemic. In the temple of speed, the drivers have a different program. In this special weekend, there are only two free practice sessions. Instead of the second session on Friday, the drivers will participate in the qualifying for the sprint race the next day. This change adds a certain pressure to the drivers.

Under a cloudy and warm weather, the drivers quickly took off. With this special weekend, they don’t have time to think about strategies. From the beginning, they all had soft tires. A compound that works quite well on this track. The battle continued between Red Bull and Mercedes, even at the level of the aerodynamic wings. Both teams brought a specific wing for Monza. Mercedes’ wing was flatter than its competitor.

To start this session, Lewis Hamilton posted the best provisional time of 1.22.262, ahead of the two Red Bulls. Like at Spa-Francorchamps, F1 offered us a trackside view through a driver’s helmet. After Fernando Alonso, it was George Russell’s turn to showcase this experience. The special Williams steering wheel, different from other teams, could be seen. The screen is not integrated into the steering wheel.

It’s back! 🙌@GeorgeRussell63 🤜🤛 helmet cam#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/UqnlKT29t1

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 10, 2021

The objective of this session was therefore to prepare for the qualifications at the end of the day. The drivers had to complete as many laps as possible with different tire compounds, while respecting the strategies established by the teams during the week. While Verstappen was facing some difficulties with his car, his teammate Sergio Perez set the fastest time in 1.22.127.

A few minutes later, in red rubber, the Dutchman took the lead by 73 milliseconds (1.21.378) ahead of Bottas, while the latter was on medium tires. This shows the difficulty for Verstappen in managing his car at best. A time quickly surpassed by the seven-time world champion with a remarkable lap time of 1.20.926 also on medium tires. While the Ferraris and McLarens were not very impressive, the surprise of this session came from the Aston Martins. 4th and 6th with an advantage for Lance Stroll by a few tenths from the leader.

Five minutes before the end of the session, the two Mercedes drivers only drove on the yellow tires. The top three positions will not change until the end of the session. It is worth noting that the Ferraris have not managed to shine with several canceled lap times on Charles Leclerc’s side.

The ranking of the first free practice session