#F1 #ItalianGP #FP1: @LewisHamilton pips @CharlesLeclerc by 0.169s in @ScuderiaFerrariHP one-two.

Hamilton Italian GP FP1 – Sir Lewis Hamilton lead from team-mate Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari one-two at their second home race of the season in opening practice at the Italian GP whilst Carlos Sainz completed the top three for Williams.

Hamilton posted the session-topping benchmark of a 1:20.117 on the C5 red side-walled softer compound and was 0.169 seconds quicker than team-mate Leclerc whilst Sainz was a further 0.533 seconds adrift of the seven-time world champion in third.

The Sauber pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto lead the pack out with both drivers on sets of the C3 mediums and C4 harder compounds with the majority behind all on the mix of those tyres.

Alex Dunne stepping in for Oscar Piastri in the MCL39 for opening practice was the first to register a lap-time of a 1:24.686, which was quickly beaten by RB’s Liam Lawson’s 1:24.341 effort.

Verstappen shot to the head of the times with a 1:12.644 on the mediums as Williams’ Alexander Albon slotted into seconds on the hards on a 1:22.712.

Hamilton then planted his SF-25 to the top of the time-sheets with a 1:22.235 after setting two purples in sectors two and three.

Leclerc was next and pipped his team-mate posting a 1:22.021 also with two purple sectors to be 0.214 seconds faster.

Norris followed with three purples to go 0.508 seconds faster than the Ferrari on a 1:21.513 whilst Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso moved to fourth place with three personal bests efforts.

Verstappen on his next flyer got to a very narrow 0.005 seconds adrift of Norris’s benchmark.

Albon on his next hot-lap pipped Norris at the top on the harder compounds setting a 1:21.479 with a purple middle sector and two personal bests to be 0.034 seconds quicker as the hour-long session approached the ten-minute mark.

RB’s podium scorer last time out Isack Hadjar jumped to fifth on his tour on the harder tyres, the Frenchman with two personal bests split the Ferrari’s and was 0.401 seconds off Albon’s benchmark effort.

But this was short-lived as Mercedes’ George Russell demoted the Frenchman whilst Verstappen then posted the quickest time of a 1:21.166 on the C4 mediums to go 0.313 seconds ahead of Albon.

Norris then slotted into second, but this was brief as Leclerc relegated the McLaren driver down a place with his 1:21.239 effort to be 0.073 seconds off Verstappen.

However, Albon was on a charge and them returned to P1 with a 1:21.073 with a purple middle sector to be 0.093 seconds than Verstappen.

Verstappen then snatched top spot back with two purple sectors on his medium tyre stint at the 16^th minute-mark – a 1:20.751 put the Dutchman 0.322 seconds quicker than the Williams driver as Carlos Sainz in the other FW47 moved up into third with three personal bests.

Alonso with a purple opening sector and two personal bests pipped Leclerc for fourth on a 1:21.192 on the medium compounds and was 0.441 seconds off Verstappen’s benchmark.

Leclerc then moved up into second to be 0.219 seconds off Verstappen with his 1:20.790 flying lap on the mediums.

Replays showed Paul Aron (who stepped in for Franco Colapinto) in FP1, suffer a spin after clipping the grass at the Variante Della Roggia Chicane bringing out a brief yellow, but the Estonian managed to keep going.

Hamilton moved up into sixth place at the 21^st minute mark posting a 1:21.391 to end up 0.640 off Verstappen’s effort as Hadjar jumped into fourth to split the Williams duo of Albon and Sainz.

The majority of drivers returned to the pits to adjust their setups bar Sainz and Lawson who were still on hot-laps.

Sainz on his harder rubber moved up into second on a 1:20.883 to be 0.132 seconds off Verstappen’s effort whilst Lawson with three personal bests jumped into seventh splitting Alonso and Lawson.

Both McLaren’s of Dunne and Norris emerged on the C5 softer compounds as Russell joined the pairing on track with 33 minutes remaining on the mediums.

Reigning world champion Verstappen also came out on the softs for a qualifying simulation stint.

Dunne ended up 15^th with three personal bests as Verstappen improved with two purples to go even faster on a 1:20.692 to be a further 0.191 seconds ahead of Sainz.

Albon moved back up into fourth with a personal best opening sector to end up 0.381 seconds off Verstappen’s benchmark.

Replays showed Hadjar skate through the gravel trap at Variante Ascari, but the Frenchman was unscathed as the red flag was waved with less than 25 minutes remaining due to the amount of gravel the Frenchman flicked up.

Replays showed Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli also dipped a wheel through the same gravel trap at Ascari.

Leclerc was noted by the stewards for a red flag infringement – the stewards quickly deemed it no further investigation.

After the gravel was cleared and the running resumed with 17 minutes remaining, Sainz lead the pack out on the C5 red side-walled softer compounds.

The Spaniard was unable to improve as Alonso pitted after aborting his hot-lap.

Leclerc was next with two purple sectors in one and three to go fastest on a 1:20.286 to be 0.406 seconds ahead of Verstappen whilst Russell slots into fifth to wound up 0.860 adrift of the Monegasque driver.

Replays showed Antonelli suffer a massive lock-up into Variante Del Rettifilo Chicane.

Hamilton followed with three personal bests to take third on his softer tyre run to be 0.477 seconds off his Ferrari team-mate Leclerc.

Norris with two personal bests jumped into fifth splitting the Williams duo of Sainz and Albon with his 1:21.021 effort.

Sainz was on his next flyer aboard his FW47 as the Spaniard pipped Verstappen to second with his 1:20.650 to wound up 0.364 seconds off his former team-mate Leclerc’s effort.

Hamilton was on one last flying tour with a personal best sector one and two purples to pip his team-mate Leclerc with a 1:20.117 to be 0.117 seconds clear to make it a Ferrari one-two as Antonelli moved up into fifth on a 1:20.940.

The session ended under the virtual safety car after Russell stopped just the Variante Della Roggia Chicane and reported a loss of power (confirmed by Team Boss Toto Wolff as a hydraulics issue).

Sainz rounded out the top three as Verstappen placed fourth in-front of the aforementioned Antonelli who took fifth.

Norris held sixth for McLaren and in-front of Albon who ended FP1 in seventh whilst Russell came eighth in the classification.

Alonso and Hadjar completed the top ten runners.

You can see the full Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio D’Italia 2025 Free Practice 1 Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2025 – PRACTICE 1

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