Ferrari, Mercedes duel at Monza practice

Leclerc was just a tenth of a second off Russell in the second session, while Kimi Antonelli briefly split the leading pair before traffic and setup issues limited progress. Lewis Hamilton was fifth in FP2 after running second in FP1, leaving Ferrari with enough pace to suggest it can contend at its home race, but not yet enough certainty to call it the clear favorite.

The picture was complicated by Monza’s high temperatures, with the asphalt exceeding 57 degrees Celsius, a factor that will test tyre management and race strategy as much as top speed. Mercedes appeared to prefer hard tyres for long-run work in the first stint, while Ferrari went quicker on the mediums and softs, indicating both teams were still balancing single-lap pace against race durability.

Red Bull, by contrast, struggled to join the fight. Max Verstappen ended the afternoon only ninth after complaining repeatedly about traction and aerodynamic issues, a concern for a team that has lately looked less comfortable on circuits demanding efficient low-drag balance. That opens the door for Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren to take the initiative if Verstappen cannot recover before qualifying.

For investors and followers of Ferrari the market-relevant read is less about Friday timing sheets than about execution under pressure at one of the sport’s most visible events. Ferrari has a home-race platform to lift brand momentum, while Mercedes’ ability to keep Russell and Antonelli near the top suggests the team still has enough performance to disrupt the order if it can tame understeer and traffic.

The outcome now depends on whether practice pace holds when the field strips fuel and the margins compress further in qualifying. If Ferrari can turn Monza’s early promise into a front-row start, it would validate the team’s recent progress; if Mercedes converts its Friday speed into pole contention, the race could become a tactical contest decided by tyre degradation and slipstream timing rather than raw pace alone.