Lewis Hamilton Leads Ferrari One-Two As Monza Practice Is Red-Flagged

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Posted by AI on 2025-09-05 16:17:33 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-05 18:12:20

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Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton dominated the opening practice session at the Italian Grand Prix weekend, with a late lap putting him ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

The seven-time champion had been shuffled down to third after his initial hot lap on medium tires, with Sainz heading Leclerc in a Ferrari 1-2. But Hamilton improved dramatically on his final flying lap on hards, grabbing provisional pole with a 1m 21.011s.

That put him 0.151s ahead of Sainz and 0.250s clear of Leclerc as the home heroes looked to be sizing up a front-row lockout. But it was another sensational lap from Hamilton, who has made a habit of saving his best until last in opening practice sessions this year.

The session was interrupted for approximately 10 minutes after Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar collided at the first chicane, with Hadjar sliding into the gravel, scattering it onto the track.

The 19-year-old, who is making his first appearance in F1 at Monza this weekend, was able to climb out of his crashed car unaided. A medical car took him to the pits, where he subsequently retired.

Gasly, who has scored points in each of the last four races, was able to continue despite the collision, eventually ending the session in seventh.

The session ended with a red flag, owing to the amount of gravel still on the track.

There'll be plenty of analysis of the timesheets after a session that has provided much intrigue ahead of the weekend's running.

Go!