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Formula 1
Italian GP
F1 Italian GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP1 and Qualifying
The first practice session and qualifying for the sprint race at Monza
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Ocon does improve on his final lap, but ultimately stays P15.
Checkered flag
The checkered flag is now out, but a few drivers appear on course to improve.
Leclerc's time doesn't stand though. After a Zandvoort weekend where track limits violations were refreshingly absent, we're getting an abundance of them today.
Leclerc and Sainz are trying the softs for Ferrari and move up the order, the 2019 Monza winner taking P6 behind Stroll and Gasly, while Sainz is behind Vettel in P8 after taking a nasty ride over the kerbs exiting the Ascari chicane.
Alas that McLaren invasion of the top five is short lived as both Norris and Ricciardo lose their times for track limits at Parabolica. Tedious.
The McLarens were rapid last year at Monza and with the addition of Mercedes power, the papaya cars look to be strong here again. Norris now goes second with the medium tyre, while Riccardo moves up to fifth behind Bottas.
It's a 1m21.676s for Stroll, who remember had a decent shot of winning this race last year with only the soon-to-be-penalised Hamilton ahead of him following the restart - but he blew the braking zone for Turn 1 and dropped back.
Medium-shod Alonso inches to the head of the best-of-the-rest pack on a 1m21.926s, but a flurry of soft tyre times immediately knock him back to P7. Stroll is now P4, ahead of Gasly, Vettel and Alonso.
Having been right at the sharp end for most of the session, Perez has fallen back to P6 and is over a second down on Hamilton. In fact, between Ricciardo in fourth and Stroll in P15 there's less than a second.
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We've still yet to see what the Mercedes have got to offer on the soft tyres. For now, Hamilton and Bottas are continuing to pound around on the medium.
Russell sets a new PB but his 1m23.230s is only enough for P15. He appeared to be somewhat baulked by Hamilton on the approach to Ascari, but pressed on regardless.
Hamilton now retakes top spot with a 1m20.926s - still on medium tyres, intriguingly. Just 15 minutes of FP1 to go.
Leclerc has had a second lap struck off for track limits at Parabolica - Alonso joining him on the naughty step with two deleted in succession.
But no sooner have we finished typing than Verstappen usurps the Finn on his soft rubber, the Red Bull championship leader setting a 1m21.378s.
Perez improves, but only manages a 1m22.039s to slot him ahead of Norris. Instead, the first man into the 1m21s bracket is Bottas - who had been having a quiet session up to that point and had slipped down to P16. He rectifies that by going P1 with a 1m21.451s on the medium tyres.
Norris now goes third on a 1m22.103s, so it's currently a McLaren 1-3 with Gasly's AlphaTauri sandwiched in-between.
We anticipate the answer to that could be a Red Bull driver, as both Perez and Verstappen have now switched to softs.
Gasly punches in a 1m22.028s, just 0.025s slower than Ricciardo's benchmark. Who will be the first one into the 1m21s bracket?
Meanwhile Vettel makes a bit of a porridge of Turn 1, carrying too much speed and locking the right-front as he desperately attempts to make the corner, running deep through the right-hander and compromising his line for the left-hand exit. Messy one that.
Leclerc atones for his track limits violation and goes up to third, before Ricciardo goes fastest on a 1m22.003s. That's a good lap from the Australian, who is still using the medium.
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It's all change now behind Perez and Hamilton at the top. Into third has gone Gasly, with his pursuer from last year Sainz once again right on his tail. Ricciardo has also moved up nicely into fifth.
Leclerc isn't the only one - Mick Schumacher has had his last two laps deleted for exceeding track limits at the same corner.
Leclerc won at Monza in 2019 and now charges up to second, just 0.049s behind Perez's benchmark time on a 1m22.176s. That is, until it is deleted for track limits at Parabolica.
The Alfa Romeos are looking good on the medium tyre. Driving for his F1 career, Giovinazzi goes fourth on a 1m22.957s, while Kubica has moved up to P11.
The Haas drivers have bolted on softs. That explains Mazepin's sudden jump up to P12 in the order.
Verstappen reports that he has "no rear grip" exiting the first chicane. With traction zones so crucial to laptimes at Monza - you lose time all the way down the straight for every momentary loss in applying the power - that will be a key point for Red Bull's engineers to work on.
Perez needs a good showing this weekend after a tough Zandvoort weekend where he was eliminated in Q1 and had to fight his way through from the back after an engine change, being outclassed by his victorious team-mate and Gasly's fourth-placed AlphaTauri. Can he bounce back at the track where he famously finished second for Sauber in 2012?
Verstappen improves but only goes third on a 1m22.571s, while Vettel also improves but stays fourth for Aston on a 1m23.119s.
Verstappen has now switched to mediums - but it's Perez who makes the first impression on the leaderboard by setting fastest second and third sectors to go top on a 1m22.127s.
Hamilton currently fastest in all three sectors, two tenths up on Perez as we creep towards the halfway point in the session. Both set their times on mediums, while Verstappen (+1.0s) was on hards when he set his time. Bottas (+1.3s) was also on mediums, but as ever it's tricky to tell what fuel loads everybody is running.
Norris has missed the apex at Turn 2 several times already, and now does so again. Autosport GP Editor Alex Kalinauckas is watching down at the first chicane and reports that the McLaren locked its wheels last time through.
Helmet cam makes its return this weekend, this time with Russell carrying the on-board footage. He flicks down a few gears for Parabolica, but still takes it in fifth, nearly bouncing off the rev limiter. We like the helmet cam.
Vettel switched to mediums to set that time - he's still among the minority of drivers that have used the yellow-walled tyre thus far.
Now Verstappen goes quicker again and moves up to third on a 1m23.349s - still on hards remember - while Vettel takes fourth in the Aston Martin on a 1m23.574s.
Verstappen sets his PB to go fourth on a 1m23.999s, but is usurped for fourth by defending Monza winner Gasly in the AlphaTauri on a 1m23.778s.
After Norris's trip through the first chicane bollards earlier, Verstappen becomes the latest driver to take 'the scenic route' - as my dad might call it.
Bottas has recovered the third place he held after the first timed runs with a 1m23.612s. Meanwhile Tsunoda's eventful start to the session continues - he's clearly not very happy with Mazepin and weaves over at him between the two Lesmos.
As Leclerc has a moment at the first Lesmo and kicks up the dust on corner exit, Tsunoda radios in again to say his belts are now "all good".
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