In a blistering Friday practice session at Monza, Mercedes‑F1 driver George Russell set the fastest time, clocking a 1:22.152 to top the charts. The 23‑year‑old’s lap was 0.9 seconds quicker than the second‑fastest driver, Lewis Hamilton, and 1.5 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The result, reported by Formula1.com, comes as the Italian Grand Prix approaches and teams are keen to gauge their performance on the high‑speed, long‑straight circuit that has historically been a battleground for the top teams.
Russell’s pace was built on a clean, high‑downforce setup that allowed the Mercedes to exploit the 4‑lane straight and the long DRS zone. The driver noted that the car was “in a good place” and that the team had “made a lot of progress” since the opening of the season. Mercedes’ engineers have been working on fine‑tuning the car’s aerodynamic balance, and the practice result suggests that the changes are paying off. With the Italian Grand Prix on the horizon, Russell’s performance raises the question of whether he is the driver to beat this weekend.
Ferrari, on the other hand, has been working on a more aggressive front‑wing configuration to increase straight‑line speed. While Leclerc’s lap was slower than Russell’s, the team’s engineers are optimistic that the car will be competitive once the balance is achieved. Ferrari’s recent upgrades have focused on improving the car’s stability in high‑speed corners, and the team is hoping that the changes will translate into a stronger performance during the race.
For Indian fans, the Italian Grand Prix will be available on FanCode with a live stream that starts at 9:00 PM IST on Saturday. The race is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM local time, which translates to 7:00 PM IST. Fans can also follow the event on the official Formula 1 app for real‑time commentary and telemetry data.
Source: Formula1.com
