Max Verstappen led the field in the first practice session for the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, while Kimi Antonelli triggered red flags after crashing during his debut FP1 session for Mercedes.
Antonelli wasn’t the only new face on track; Franco Colapinto drove for Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant for the rest of the 2024 season.
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As the session began under sunny skies at 1:30 pm local time, veteran Fernando Alonso led the drivers onto the newly resurfaced Monza track. Antonelli quickly made an impact by setting the fastest time on his first lap. However, 10 minutes into the session, he lost control and crashed into the barriers at Parabolica, causing the session to be paused. Thankfully, Antonelli was unharmed, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reassured him over the radio. The red flags came out while Antonelli’s car was recovered, and the barriers were inspected. The session resumed at 1:53 pm.
As the track continued to evolve, the times improved significantly. Valtteri Bottas briefly topped the leaderboard with a 1:22.127 on soft tyres, just 0.087 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
The session was eventful, with several drivers encountering difficulties. Carlos Sainz experienced a minor slide but managed to keep his Ferrari on track, later commenting that it was a “tricky one.” Meanwhile, Ferrari introduced upgrades, with Charles Leclerc taking the top spot late in the session before being surpassed by Verstappen, who set the fastest lap with a 1:21.676.
Verstappen’s time put him 0.228 seconds ahead of Leclerc, with Lando Norris securing third place for McLaren following his recent win at Zandvoort. Sainz finished fourth, Bottas fifth for Kick Sauber, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in sixth.
Lewis Hamilton placed seventh, the sole Mercedes driver for most of the session, followed by Alex Albon in eighth for Williams, Sergio Perez in ninth for Red Bull, and Fernando Alonso completing the top ten for Aston Martin.
Kevin Magnussen of Haas, Daniel Ricciardo, and Yuki Tsunoda of RB placed 11th, 12th, and 13th, respectively. Pierre Gasly in the Alpine and Zhou Guanyu in the Kick Sauber followed in 14th and 15th positions.
Lance Stroll of Aston Martin recorded the 16th fastest time, while Colapinto finished 17th after avoiding a gravel trap incident towards the end of the session. Esteban Ocon of Alpine was 18th after spinning late, and Nico Hulkenberg of Haas was 19th. Antonelli, with his limited running, ended up in 20th.
Italian GP FP1 Results
2024 Italian Grand Prix FP1, 30 August 2024
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