George Russell Tops FP2 at Monza, Leclerc and Antonelli Close Behind

George Russell laid down an early marker at Monza, beating home favourite Charles Leclerc to the top of the times in a lively second practice for the Italian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver fired in a 1m22.559s lap midway through FP2, winning a sharp three-way shootout with Leclerc and team-mate Kimi Antonelli that briefly turned a routine Friday run plan into a qualifying-style scrap.

Soft tyres, sharp intent

For 20 minutes, FP2 looked subdued. The field circulated on hard tyres, Russell already quietly leading the way but with little to separate the frontrunners. Then the softs came out, and the session snapped into focus.

On the red-walled Pirellis, Antonelli was first to show his hand. The Italian lit up the first sector but never got the chance to finish the lap, forced to abort as traffic clogged the Parabolica, Monza’s famous final curve.

Released from that frustration on his next attempt, Antonelli strung it together: a 1m22.700s to go fastest and briefly raise the noise in the Mercedes garage. It didn’t last. Russell immediately edged ahead with a 1m22.686s, only for Leclerc — fastest in FP1 and cheered on by the tifosi — to punch in a 1m22.679s and reclaim the top spot for Ferrari.

Russell’s answer was emphatic. On his following run he found a cleaner lap, a tidier middle sector and a more convincing margin: 1m22.559s. Nobody touched it.

From there, the timesheets froze at the sharp end as teams shifted into long-run work, leaving Russell on top, Leclerc second, and Antonelli third.

Norris and Hamilton lurking

Behind the leading trio, Lando Norris kept his recent form intact. The reigning world champion, winner of the last two grands prix, finished fourth, around four tenths off Russell. It was not a headline-grabbing lap, but it kept McLaren firmly in the frame.

Lewis Hamilton slotted into fifth in the second Ferrari, just ahead of Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren. The margins were fine, the intent anything but.

Young guns impress

Arvid Lindblad continued to make the most of his Racing Bulls opportunity. He briefly ran as high as third in the early stages and eventually ended the session seventh, another solid marker from a driver still feeling his way into Formula 1 machinery.

Oliver Bearman also delivered for Haas. In a team short on feel-good stories this season, his run to eighth offered a rare bright note, particularly on a day when outright pace has often deserted the American outfit.

Verstappen plays catch-up

This was Max Verstappen’s first on-track appearance of the weekend, his FP1 duties handed to reserve Ayumu Iwasa for a mandatory rookie outing. The world champion spent much of FP2 wrestling with the balance of his RB22.

Red Bull tweaked the front wing, but the car never quite came alive. Verstappen ended up only ninth, the lead Red Bull but far from the sharp end he usually occupies on a Friday.

Yuki Tsunoda, standing in at Racing Bulls for a second consecutive weekend while Liam Lawson deputises for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, completed the top 10. Lawson himself took 12th, just behind Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.

Stroll under scrutiny, Leclerc spins

There were few major incidents, but the ones that did occur were noticeable.

Leclerc had a spin at the second chicane, losing the rear of his Ferrari over the aggressive sausage kerbs. He escaped without damage, a reminder of how fine the line is when drivers attack those high curbs in search of time.

Lance Stroll faces a sterner follow-up. As the Aston Martin driver exited the pitlane, he drifted carelessly into the path of Norris, who had to jink away to avoid a collision at speed. The incident has been flagged to the FIA stewards and will be investigated after the session.

Audi, meanwhile, had cause for concern. Gabriel Bortoleto reported an unhealthy-sounding V6 in the back of his car, prompting the team to cut his programme short and bring the car in early.

Russell’s name sat at the top of the FP2 sheet when the chequered flag fell. On a circuit Ferrari calls home, and on a day when Leclerc again looked sharp, Mercedes left Monza’s first full day of running with something tangible: proof that, at least over one lap, they have the speed to spoil the party. The question now is whether that single lap promise survives the pressure cooker of qualifying.