Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, kicked off the Italian Grand Prix weekend in dominant fashion, setting the fastest time during the first practice session at Monza. Despite initially languishing lower in the standings, Verstappen surged to the top during his Soft tyre run, clocking a time of 1:21.676s under the blazing Italian sun. This effort put him 0.228s ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with McLaren’s Lando Norris rounding out the top three.
All eyes were on Mercedes protégé Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is widely tipped to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025. The 18-year-old Italian, making his first public appearance in a Formula 1 car, saw his session come to an abrupt end just 10 minutes in. After setting the fastest middle sector, Antonelli lost control of his W15 at the Parabolica, spinning off the freshly resurfaced track and crashing into the barriers. The incident caused significant damage to the car’s right-hand side and brought out the red flags. Fortunately, Antonelli was uninjured but did not return to the track for the remainder of the session.
Hamilton, driving the sister Mercedes, finished in seventh place, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz secured fourth, closely followed by an impressive Valtteri Bottas in fifth for Sauber—a team that has struggled at the back of the grid for much of the season.
Oscar Piastri put in a solid performance to take sixth, while Williams’ Alex Albon, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completed the top 10.
Franco Colapinto, who recently replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams, finished his first session in 17th place. The Argentine rookie had a brief scare when he ran wide into the gravel at Parabolica but managed to return the car safely to the pits.
As the Italian Grand Prix weekend unfolds, all eyes will be on whether Verstappen can maintain his lead and how Antonelli bounces back from his early setback.
