Hamilton, in his first session as a Ferrari driver at Monza, set the pace with a 1:20.117, edging out Leclerc by just 0.169 seconds.
The sea of red-clad Tifosi had plenty to cheer as Ferrari made their mark early, while Mercedes endured late frustration when George Russell reported he had “lost power” and ground to a halt in the final moments.
The session began with Nico Hulkenberg leading the field out, while McLaren handed reserve driver Alex Dunne a run in place of championship leader Oscar Piastri. Dunne later said over the radio: “We need to put the headrest pads on when I come back,” as he adjusted to the car.
Hamilton was immediately quick, topping the times on his opening flying lap before Alex Albon and Max Verstappen briefly moved ahead. Albon’s Williams looked sharp, but Verstappen, despite complaining his “tyres are starting to slide a little bit more in general,” responded to reclaim top spot midway through.
Monza’s usual traffic chaos flared up when Pierre Gasly was forced wide by Carlos Sainz, prompting the Frenchman to vent: “Yeah, that’s not fair from Sainz. Always the same guy.”
Incidents were frequent, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Kimi Antonelli both finding the gravel, while Paul Aron spun after “touching the gravel on entry” at Turn 4. The session was briefly red-flagged as Isack Hadjar scattered stones across the circuit.
When running resumed, Leclerc bolted on the soft tyres to hit the front with a 1:20.286.
Hamilton then produced a late effort, going purple in the middle sector, to secure Ferrari’s one-two. Behind them, Carlos Sainz impressed for Williams in third, while Verstappen settled for fourth in the Red Bull.
The top ten was rounded out by Antonelli, Lando Norris, Albon, Russell, Fernando Alonso and Hadjar.
Italian Grand Prix FP1 times:
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:20.117
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.169
3 Carlos Sainz Williams +0.533
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.575
5 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.823
6 Lando Norris McLaren +0.904
7 Alexander Albon Williams +0.956
8 George Russell Mercedes + 0.993
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.997
10 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +1.041
11 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber +1.055
12 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber +1.062
13 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.084
14 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing +1.175
15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.178
16 Alexander Dunne McLaren +1.489
17 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team +1.525
18 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.536
19 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team +1.941
20 Paul Aron Alpine +2.036
The 2025 Italian Grand Prix continues on Sunday, 7 September, with 53 laps of the 5.793 km Autodromo Nazionale di Monza awaiting the field.
