2026 Formula 1 Italian GP
F1 Italian GP live commentary and updates - FP1
Follow along for all the action at Formula 1's first practice session of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
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Antonelli loses time in the final sector to go up to third, having been incredibly rapid in the first sector - perhaps he'd over-deployed in the first half of the lap.
Russell got a bit sideways through the second chicane around his previous lap, and had to go again.
It's currently Lawson, from Piastri, from Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris, and Russell...or it was, as Hamilton threw down a 1m24.194s to go top.
Leclerc posts a 1m24.482s on the hard tyre to go fastest, which is then beaten by Lawson on a 1m24.383s.
Norris moves up to third, as Antonelli is finding plenty of time out there.
Lawson has put the soft tyre on and has done a 1m25.785s, slower than Russell's effort on the medium, as Antonelli does a 1m25.637s to go second - also on mediums.
This is then beaten by Piastri on a 1m25.333s.
Ocon has opened with a 1m30.541s, but we'll go much faster than that...
...and indeed, Leclerc posts a 1m26.873s, giving Ferrari's new engine a run-out, as George Russell then posts a 1m25.259s.
You can see the rear wings of this year's cars aren't quite as slender as we've seen before at Monza, and that's simply because we've got the straight line mode this year.
Leclerc's on-track in his Michael Schumacher tribute livery, waving to the crowd. Fernando Alonso has an Adrian Campos-inspired helmet livery for this weekend too.
Paul Aron hits the track, bearing an aero rake on that Alpine.
FP1 is away!
Iwasa and Herta, who crashed in F2 practice, are on-track. Ocon, Alonso, and Lindblad also join the fray.
It's warm at Monza, 30C outside, 49C track temperature.
Heat hazard has officially been declared for this weekend, so the drivers must either choose the cooling vest or the extra ballast in the car if they don't want to wear it.
Lawson, Tsunoda remain in place as Hadjar still unavailable
It's as we were in Zandvoort as Isack Hadjar is prioritising his recovery from a wrist injury; Liam Lawson stays with Red Bull, and Yuki Tsunoda is back in the Racing Bulls car.
We've also got some FP1-only rookies in for this session:
Ayumu Iwasa - takes Max Verstappen's Red Bull car
Luke Browning - driving Alex Albon's Williams
Paul Aron - in at Alpine for Pierre Gasly
Colton Herta - replacing Sergio Perez at Cadillac
Luke Browning, Williams
Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images
F1 races set to be shortened to 290km in 2027
Formula 1 grands prix are set to become shorter in 2027 as the series changes the balance between electrical and internal-combustion power.
The background to this is the widespread unpopularity of the latest technical regulations, in which electrical output and internal combustion engine power contribute equally to the total power.
The change follows criticism of the latest technical regulations, under which electrical and internal-combustion power contribute equally to total output. Drivers dislike the counter-intuitive driving style imposed by the constant need to harvest and deploy electrical energy; neither has the 'yo-yo’ racing caused by varying states of battery charge proved popular with the competitors.
Although the stakeholders agreed to move towards a 60:40 ratio in favour of internal combustion in 2028, with increased fuel flow, there will be an interim step of 58:42 next season.
The reason for this is that at the time, at least half the teams planned to carry over their 2026 chassis, making it impractical to enlarge the fuel tank.
Given the shift in balance of power output, increased fuel flow was required to enable the engines to contribute more. If they use more fuel they need to carry more, or shorten the races.
Will Monza lose its edge in 2026?
So here's the thing: in the early simulations of the 2026, most were worried that Monza would be a little bit lift-and-coasty this year, owing to the drain on the battery along the straights.
F1 has tried to minimise this effect, but the drivers are still preparing for a tough race as there's very few areas to recharge.
It's sad really, because I'm sure we'd all really like to celebrate F1 and talk about other things that aren't batteries, but here we are. Maybe it won't be that bad. I dunno.
Here's Lewis Hamilton with his recently acquired F40 to remind us of a motoring icon.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Clive Mason / Getty Images
Welcome to the Temple of Speed!
Hello everyone, and welcome to our live coverage of the Italian Grand Prix! As always, we'll take you through each session step by step!
FP1 is coming up soon, and there's a few things to talk about before the session kicks off!
Ferrari fans
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
