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Antonelli: Ferrari has made a step
The championship leader reveals after P3 today, not surprisingly, that he focused more on the long runs. Because qualifying doesn’t matter to him anyway due to his grid penalty.
“It was a bit strange, to be honest,” he admits. “But overall it was a good day. We collected a lot of data and are now looking forward to the next days,” he emphasizes.
About the competition, Antonelli says: “Ferrari has definitely made a step forward with the new engine, and now the speeds are at the same level.”
“We know how good their car is in the corners. So it will definitely be a very, very close fight for pole position tomorrow,” he announces.
He himself will not play a role in this.
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Trailer
Before we get more voices from Monza, we first have something for all Schumi fans. Netflix has now released an official trailer for the documentary “Schumacher ’94”. You can watch it here:
Brundle: “Key race” for Russell
Expert Martin Brundle says on Sky after Russell’s best time: “He made a good impression. This is his big chance to make up the gap [in the championship] this weekend.”
“These are now key races for George Russell,” he emphasizes and explains that if the Brit falls too far behind Antonelli in the championship, he could soon slip into the role of the number 2 driver.
He might then have to drive for Antonelli, “if McLaren or Ferrari attack his lead in the championship.”
Jolyon Palmer sees it very similarly.
Stroll faces trouble
Lando Norris almost crashed into Lance Stroll once in FT2. The Canadian was slow in turn 1 and the world champion had to evade. The race stewards are reviewing it again, so there could still be trouble for Stroll.
FT2 overview
Report
Result
Overall result Friday
Photos: F1: Grand Prix of Italy (Monza) 2026
Open session ticker now!
In ten minutes, the second practice in Monza will begin and we will shift the action back to our session ticker for now. So there is a short break here, after the end of the practice it will continue here as usual with the voices from Friday.
And if you want to know how to watch Formula 1 live during the Italy weekend, you can find out here!
Formula 2: Pole for Ferrari junior
So far going well for the Scuderia at the home race. Double best time in FT1 and now Ferrari junior Rafael Camara has also secured pole position in Formula 2. Also an important step for him in the title fight.
Oliver Goethe made it into the top 10 as ninth, which also puts him on second place on the grid for the sprint race. That will take place tomorrow at 14:15 before the Formula 1 qualifying.
Engine penalty also for Albon
Numerous drivers have received a new engine this weekend. We already knew that there would be a grid penalty for Kimi Antonelli because of this, but now Alexander Albon has also been hit.
For him, however, the penalty probably won’t play a big role, as Williams will likely have a hard time getting out of Q1 tomorrow anyway.
Formula 3: Important pole for Slater
During the team principal press conference, Audi junior Freddie Slater secured pole position in Formula 3. An important pole for the championship leader, as we have already talked about Monza being the penultimate weekend of the year.
Even better for him: title rival Ugo Ugochukwu missed the top 10.
Read more Angry Briatore accuses bias: A judge is close to McLaren!
Ferrari announces further updates
At the end of the press conference, the statement by Toto Wolff that Mercedes has no money for more upgrades is discussed again. Vasseur says he will not comment on it as it is not appropriate to talk about other teams’ budgets. A little jab towards Wolff.
For Ferrari, however, he can say that they will bring further updates during the year without problems with the budget cap.
That concludes the press conference. In an hour, FT2 continues on the track.
Briatore sticks to criticism
Once again, the topic is how to improve the processes in the future. Briatore says he basically accepts every decision of the race stewards.
But he comes back to the same point and explains again that an independent judge is needed in such a hearing.
Stella disagrees
The McLaren team principal reacts irritated to the topic. He emphasizes that the hearing met the “highest standards”. Furthermore, these accusations are “insulting” towards McLaren.
Briatore: We didn’t know before
Back to the Monaco case. Briatore is asked why Alpine did not express their concerns about the judge earlier. He explains that they only found out later.
But the judge did not act like a judge, but “like a prosecutor,” says Briatore. Quite harsh accusations.
Stella: Monza very different
Now it gets sporty and after two wins in a row, Stella explains that McLaren is not necessarily the favorite here in Italy, because Monza as a track is very different from Hungary and Zandvoort recently.
Precisely for that reason, it will be an “interesting weekend” for the team to see where they stand.
Briatore: Decision “very unfair”
Briatore starts the press conference with a bang. He says the decision is “very unfair” – and suspects a conspiracy. The judge has a connection to McLaren, he says, and explains that this is not acceptable.
Stella explains that he will not comment on this claim.
Briatore in team principal press conference
In ten minutes, the team principals’ press conference begins in Monza. It could be quite interesting, as Flavio Briatore is among the participants today.
The Italian will surely comment again on the Monaco case. Also present are Frederic Vasseur (Ferrari) and Andrea Stella (McLaren).
We will provide you with the most important statements here in the ticker as usual.
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