2026 Italian GP: Russell leads Monza Friday fight

George Russell set the pace in FP2 at Monza after Charles Leclerc led FP1, with Mercedes and Ferrari closely matched through Friday in Italy.

George Russell finished Friday fastest at Monza for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, with Autosport and Motorsport.com reporting that the Mercedes driver beat Charles Leclerc by 0.120s in second practice. Earlier, Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two in first practice ahead of Lewis Hamilton, as reported by the same outlets. Motorsport.com added that the long-run picture after FP2 left no clear favourite. Russell arrived at Monza second in the drivers' championship on 183 points, level with Hamilton, while Leclerc was fifth on 155.

BBC Sport reported that Hamilton viewed Ferrari’s upgraded engine as a step forward but said the team still trailed Mercedes on straight-line speed. Formula1.com reported that Hamilton spoke positively about Ferrari’s pace on home ground, while the same outlet said Lando Norris gave a downbeat assessment of McLaren’s pole prospects, Liam Lawson called Red Bull’s Friday productive, and Fernando Alonso maintained full backing for Honda after a difficult start. Formula1.com also reported that Racing Bulls placed Arvid Lindblad in the top 10 in both sessions, with Yuki Tsunoda showing progress, while Ollie Bearman said Haas’ upgrades had made a major difference. Lawson started the weekend ninth in the standings on 49 points, and Alonso was 19th on three.