F1 LIVE | Who will come out on top in FP1 in Ferrari home soil at Monza?

13:33, 05 Sep

byTobia Elia

Everything is set for the start of the Monza weekend. Follow GPBlog’s live text coverage of FP1 for the Italian Grand Prix with us!

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With the Zandvoort weekend behind us—which saw a pivotal shift in the championship following Oscar Piastri’s victory and Lando Norris’ late retirement—Formula 1 is now ready to hit the track at Monza for the sixteenth round of the season.

As mentioned, the issue suffered by the British driver dropped him 34 points behind his teammate, who now holds a significant gap with just nine races remaining.

At Monza, Ferrari will be looking for redemption, needing to bounce back after last Sunday’s double retirement: Hamilton crashed into the barriers, while Leclerc retired following contact with Kimi Antonelli. A costly double zero in the Constructors’ Championship has brought Mercedes back within striking distance, now just 12 points behind.

For Ferrari, Monza is historically the most important and eagerly anticipated Grand Prix of the year—not just for the team and drivers, but especially for the fans, who hope to see Leclerc and Hamilton fighting for victory this weekend.

A challenging task, given the issues with this year’s SF-25, but above all because of McLaren’s clear dominance, which proved unstoppable even at Zandvoort.

Charles Leclerc in Monza in 2024

Who will come out on top in FP1 at Monza?

However, the Monza circuit should suit the Maranello team’s car better, with teams running the lowest downforce setup of the season on a layout that is drastically different from the tight and twisty Dutch track.

From FP1 onwards, teams and drivers will be able to assess whether the simulator data translates effectively on track, ahead of Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race.

Who will come out on top in the opening practice session? All that’s left is to wait for the green light, with FP1 getting underway at 13:30.