F1 Italian GP live commentary and updates – FP2
Follow along for live updates of free practice from the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
Live Standings
Live Text
THAT'S A WRAP FROM FP2
It's nicely close at the top behind Lando Norris – early days yet, of course – and the picture is less definitive of McLaren dominance.
Some intrigue overnight: Oscar Piastri is under investigation for being released into the pitlane too early. Whether or not this was noted anyway, or whether the team radio in which Max Verstappen's engineer Gianpiero Lambiase pointed out the infraction played a part, we do not know!
Join us for FP3 tomorrow at 11.30am local time.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Marco Bertorello / AFP via Getty Images
F1 TV wraps the session with a veritable 'sizzle reel' of Charles Leclerc lock-ups and off-track slitherings at the second chicane and Ascari.
"The car is very difficult to drive," he says in a statement of the obvious. We would say the Ferrari might have been on a high fuel load at that point but it was running softs, which suggests that is not the case.
Interesting to note that P1 to P17 is split by one second. After that the gap opens up quickly. Antonelli in P19 is something of an outlier owing to his early exit so there's lots of work for Alpine to do.
Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto currently 1.224s and 1.686s off the pace – we would insert a screaming cat emoji if we could...
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Under five minutes to go and we're not convinced anyone is going to improve upon Lando Norris's 1m19.878s from earlier. We are solidly into the long runs now and some cars are modelling flo-viz – including Oscar Piastri's which is wearing it on the right-front corner.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Many people 'reverting back' (in the tautologous words of George Russell) to longer runs on mediums but Leclerc is still pushing on softs, and has visited the gravel and grass mid-way through Ascari. A bumpy ride. That'll hurt in the morning.
Lewis Hamilton had a snap at the entry to the second Lesmo, caught it, but still went further over the kerbs than he would have preferred and kicked up yet more gravel onto the track, forcing Max Verstappen to take evasive action. Both of those cars circualting on mediums though, so the disruption is only to their long-ish runs.
Verstappen has also improved to P6, 0.199s off Norris, and is back out – but on mediums so don't expect him to rise further.
Piastri has also improved to go P4, and he's back out on another lap after a brief pit visit.
Looks like Hadjar improved a little on that lap but he's still P11. The Aston Martins not so much - that car remains very draggy.
IT IS HE
Charles Leclerc finds some grip at last and goes just 0.083s slower than Norris's benchmark on his quali sim. Apart from him it's just Tsunoda, Hadjar, Stroll and Gasly out on track on softs at the moment.
Yuki Tsunoda currently faster than Max Verstappen – P6, 0.391s off Norris compared with P13, 0.832s off.
But Max had to abandon his qualifying sim. Looks like a snap of oversteer at the exit of the second chicane, then he got on the radio to complain about the car being nervous "over every little bump".
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Carlos Sainz splits Norris and Hamilton, just 0.096s off the McLaren.
Oscar Piastri only P7 as we type, nearly half a second off Norris. But we know he likes to build (as the Housemartins sang) through a weekend.
Lewis Hamilton's soft tyre run is just 0.192s off Norris's. Don't expect any fireworks from Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc – he's grumbling about "no grip".
Bortoleto under investigation for overtaking under yellow flags – this was before the red flag, as several cars arrived on the scene of Antonelli's off and some reacted faster than others.
Well, having aborted that lap, Lando then goes quickest of all next time around – 1m19.878. He's on softs.
Norris has a moment at the exit of the second chicane – takes too much kerb, the rear end twitches, and he nearly smites the barrier. That will have woken up the snappers who hang out on the other side...
Lando Norris, McLaren
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
EARLY SAINZ
Carlos Sainz now goes fastest with a 1m20.583.
Lando Norris popped out of the garage, did an outlap, then popped back in again. And now he's out.
Perhaps Lando has decided to 'be more cat'. You know how it is. They want to go out. You let them out and shut the door. Then they want to come back in again...
NEW UNDERWEAR FOR ALBON
Holy moly! A huge moment for Alex Albon mid-way through the Lesmos. He nearly followed Verschoor into the inside wall, for sure...
Gabriel Bortoleto asks his Sauber team to "check the floor" after he runs wide at the second Lesmo. Replays show he did indeed take a big floor strike as he ran over the kerb.
We're also quite surprised at the amount of gravel still on track after Antonelli's off there – the red flag would have been a perfect opportunity to get rid of that. Some people never know when to seize the moment...
And as if to prove that, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen go quicker.
And we're back under way again. Lando Norris currently fastest on 1m21.012s but there's plenty of improvement to come. The majority of the field is on a mixture of mediums and hards so we're very much in long run territory.
TRADITIONS
Meanwhile in Valtteri's ready room...
KIMI BINS IT
Kimi Antonelli is a little too optimistic into the second Lesmo – it's got camber, so you can take liberties if you're confident and your car is willing – but he spears off and rotates, beaching in the gravel.
"Sorry about that," says Kimi. He needs to work on sounding remorseful – that sounded a little bit like when Richard Burton apologises for calling Clint Eastwood a "second-rate punk" in Where Eagles Dare...
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Marco Bertorello / AFP via Getty Images
GASLY BUSINESS
Pierre Gasly goes into the Ascari chicane too hot and skitters over the kitty litter mid-corner. Hairy stuff.
BLACK MIRROR
Perhaps it's a 'papaya rules' thing but Lando Norris's right-hand rear view mirror has fallen out.
We know mirrorless cameras are all the rage with F1's snappers, but really...
THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE
Oscar Piastri among the first to leave, no doubt keen to get going after Alex Dunne took his car this morning. But Oscar soon observes that his rear-view mirror is cracked!
This will make for an interesting whodunnit. If memory serves, in Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side it was the fading movie star wot done it...
Spoke too soon - out comes Max!
And we're off!
Everyone except Max Verstappen out on track already.
Meanwhile if you're still wondering what went on with Lando Norris's car last weekend, wonder no longer because McLaren has clarified the nature of the oil leak.
MEKIES MOUNTAIN CLIMBING
Speaking of Toto, some time ago he said Red Bull had a mountain to climb in terms of building its own engine, given the expertise other manufacturers already have with hybrid technology.
New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies concurred with that assessment today. We'll have the full story for you shortly.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
WELCOME BACK TO MONZA
FP2 is about to begin after an eventful and thrice red-flagged F2 qualifying session. Luke Browning set pole position but the final red flag brought the session to an early close as Richard Verschoor lost it and smote the inside wall between the two Lesmo corners.
Who will achieve F1 pre-eminence at the temple of speed in FP2? Lewis Hamilton led a Ferrari 1-2 earlier today.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
By: Stuart Codling
