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Can tifosi raise their expectations after Hamilton's 'encouraging' comments?

Hamilton’s first weekend as a Ferrari driver got off to a positive start, with the Briton setting the fastest time in the morning session.

He wasn’t able to replicate that pace in the afternoon but still finished a solid fifth, just a tenth of a second behind his teammate, who ended the day in second.  

Despite this, the seven-time world champion appeared more comfortable with the car in both sessions, with the high-speed Italian circuit expected to suit the SF-25’s characteristics—this year’s car has shown it can be competitive on tracks with long straights.

McLaren edge out Ferrari, but the Scuderia boasts race win vibes on home soil

As expected, McLaren once again asserted themselves at Monza on Friday, with Lando Norris reclaiming the spotlight in FP2 after Ferrari’s morning one-two.

Once all the qualifying simulations were completed—which saw Charles Leclerc finish just 0.083s behind the Briton—teams spent the final twenty minutes focusing on race pace in preparation for Sunday.  

The British driver also appeared the most competitive in the long runs during FP2, averaging 1:23.697 over an 11-lap stint on medium tires. Teammate Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, was 0.305 seconds slower on average, also on mediums but completing two laps less.

After posting a gap of less than a tenth in the qualifying simulations, the Monegasque driver also looked competitive in the long runs, recording Friday’s second-best long-run average of 1:23.773—just 0.076 seconds slower than Norris. However, he completed only four laps, all on soft tires.

Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, ran a simulation more comparable to Piastri’s, finishing with an average of 1:24.167—0.471 seconds slower than Norris—although he completed seven laps on hard tires, unlike his teammate who ran on softs.

Jos Verstappen slams Perez' father's statements: 'What an idiot'

Sergio Perez' father, Antonio Perez Garibay, recently made headlines after voicing his discontent at the Red Bull Racing leadership for not giving his son the car he deserved the become world champion. Jos Verstappen disagreed with the Mexican's statements.

According to the Mexican politician, had Red Bull given Perez the car 'he deserved', the Guadalajara born driver, not Max Verstappen, would've become world champion in 2024.

He also suggested the reason why the Austrians and Verstappen had won their championships was due to Perez. He topped off his claims by saying that Red Bull never gave him the same material as Verstappen.  

Jos Verstappen is known for his sincerity, and this time, when replying to Perez Garibay, he minced no words.

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