Charles Leclerc produced one ‘surprising’ Monza moment that no rival F1 driver had at the Italian Grand Prix

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Ferrari set the pace in first free practice for the 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, but the Scuderia’s threat then faded in FP2 at Monza.

The Maranello outfit snatched the top two spots in the FP1 timesheet, with Hamilton setting a 1:20.117 on his Monza debut as a Ferrari driver. Leclerc was also just 0.169 seconds slower than the Briton, as the Monegasque emphasised the Scuderia’s early potential on home soil.

Yet after opening the event by giving the Tifosi some reason to cheer, McLaren driver Lando Norris hit back to top FP2 by 0.083s over Leclerc in second. Hamilton finished FP2 in P5 with a 0.192s deficit to P1, as Williams’ Carlos Sainz took P3 and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took P4.

Ferrari arrived at Monza confident about their chances for the Italian GP, with the level track surface letting the Maranello crew run the SF-25 low to the ground without risking excessive floor plank wear. Leclerc is also bidding for back-to-back Monza wins after his 2024 triumph.

Charles Leclerc surprises Jamie Chadwick with a rare lock-up at Ascari during FP2 at the Italian Grand Prix

Leclerc and Hamilton are also making use of Ferrari believing their low-downforce rear wing could be a winning weapon at Monza. Yet Friday’s practice was not flawless for the Scuderia stars, with Leclerc one of the many drivers to run wide exiting the second Lesmo during FP2.

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Leclerc also caught Jamie Chadwick by surprise during FP2 for the Italian GP on Friday when the Ferrari ace locked up at the Ascari Chicane with eight minutes remaining of the session. The 27-year-old needed to take a wild trip through the gravel trap after locking up at Turn 8.

Chadwick said on Sky Sports F1 (05/09, 16:52): “Coming into the Ascari Chicane, I’m going to predict he has a snap mid-corner? Oh, no, a big lock-up. That’s surprising, actually. We’ve not seen anyone, really, have lock-ups there. But [Leclerc locks up] that front-left [tyre].

“Usually, it’s not a corner you have lock-ups like that. But [Leclerc has a] big lock-up, gets out of it early and straight lines it across [the gravel trap] to avoid any big issues. But that’s not a corner you’d actually want to find yourself with that under rotation of the front left.”

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Ferrari will hope Leclerc learns from his rare lock-up at Ascari during FP2 at Monza, with the Scuderia relying on the Monegasque to lead their Italian GP dreams. Hamilton must serve a five-place grid penalty at Monza for not slowing under yellow flags at Zandvoort last Sunday.

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The seven-time F1 champion learned after the Dutch Grand Prix that he would have to carry a grid penalty to Monza after failing to slow for double-waved yellow flags before the race at Zandvoort. Hamilton did not slow sufficiently when he was practising attacking the pit entry.

Leclerc risked a grid penalty for the Italian GP during FP1 at Monza this Friday, too. The 2019 and 2024 Italian GP winner drew a brief investigation from the race stewards as he overtook Nico Hulkenberg under red flags. But he could not avoid passing the Sauber driver at Turn 4.

The FIA’s race stewards quickly ruled that there would be no further action. Leclerc’s pace as the Ferrari star neared Variante della Roggia meant his overspeed took him past Hulkenberg while on the brakes, after Isack Hadjar caused the red flags for gravel on the track at Ascari.