Russell edges Leclerc to lead tight Italian GP FP2 as Verstappen struggles

News summary

• George Russell led FP2 at Monza with a 1:22.559, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.120s.
• Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the top 3, while Lewis Hamilton was 5th behind both McLarens.
• Max Verstappen struggled with front-end grip and finished 9th, behind Ferrari-powered Haas driver Oliver Bearman.

George Russell beat a charging Charles Leclerc to top FP2 at the Italian GP, held Friday (September 4) at Monza. The Mercedes driver set a 1:22.559 to take first place, 0.120s faster than the Ferrari driver. Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the top 3.

After Ferrari set the pace in FP1, Mercedes raised the bar in the second session, with Antonelli and Russell leading the times in the opening minutes. Ferrari responded through Leclerc, who repeatedly challenged for the top spot as the margins remained extremely small.

Leclerc was particularly competitive through Monza’s high-speed corners, while Ferrari’s upgraded power unit appeared to give the Monegasque an additional boost on the straights.

The McLarens were a step behind Mercedes and Ferrari on Friday, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri unable to match the leading pace in qualifying simulations. Norris finished 4th and Piastri 6th, although the competitive order remains difficult to establish with only 2 practice sessions completed.

Hamilton finished 5th, matching the gap to Russell at around 0.4s. The 7-time world champion had more difficulty managing his battery deployment than Leclerc and could not replicate the Ferrari driver’s pace.

Red Bull had a more difficult session. Max Verstappen struggled with grip and front-end instability in the RB22, a characteristic the Dutchman has repeatedly identified as particularly difficult to manage. He finished 9th, behind Oliver Bearman, who put Haas 8th while using Ferrari’s upgraded power unit.

How FP2 unfolded at Monza

With track temperatures reaching 57°C and ambient temperatures at 33°C, FP2 brought Verstappen, Alexander Albon, Sergio Pérez and Pierre Gasly into action after they had sat out FP1 to make room for rookie drivers.

Gasly arrived at the session after losing his Monaco podium following the FIA International Court of Appeal ruling that reinstated his 2 penalties. The decision returned Isack Hadjar to 3rd place in the final classification.

The first 10 minutes saw Antonelli lead with a 1:23.417, just 0.055s ahead of Leclerc, with Russell in 3rd. Mercedes was running the hard tires while Leclerc was on the mediums.

Russell then found time in the second sector and moved ahead of Leclerc with a 1:23.434, only 0.017s slower than his previous benchmark. Hamilton was 5th, 0.4s behind his teammate.

Verstappen, meanwhile, was only 13th and complained about a lack of grip around the high-speed Italian circuit. After making adjustments, he returned to the track and improved to 8th, around 0.5s off Antonelli’s pace.

Gabriel Bortoleto was immediately behind Verstappen in 9th, setting his 1:24.111 on hard tires. When Liam Lawson improved and moved into 5th, the Brazilian dropped to 10th.

Russell then beat Antonelli by 0.2s to take control of the session. At that point, the top 10 consisted of Russell, Antonelli, Lindblad, Leclerc, Lawson, Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Verstappen and Bortoleto.

Verstappen and Bortoleto subsequently lowered their times to move into 6th and 7th respectively. With just under 40 minutes remaining, Antonelli made another attempt on soft tires after his previous lap had been compromised by an Audi.

The Mercedes driver set a purple second sector and completed the lap in 1:22.700, taking the lead. Russell responded with soft tires of his own and was already 0.2s faster than Antonelli in the first sector.

Antonelli recovered time through the second sector, however, leaving Russell with only 0.1s of his initial advantage. The Mercedes driver gained another 0.1s in the final sector and set a 1:22.686, beating Antonelli by just 0.014s.

With 30 minutes remaining, McLaren was still relatively quiet, with both drivers yet to show their full qualifying pace on the soft tire. Norris was 8th, just ahead of Bortoleto, while Piastri was 10th, 0.02s behind Hamilton.

Hamilton moved up to 4th after switching to soft tires, but Leclerc went even faster, taking the lead by 0.007s with a 1:22.679. By then, the top 11 drivers had set their best times on the C5 compound.

McLaren then joined the qualifying simulations. Norris moved ahead of Hamilton into 4th, while Piastri climbed to 6th.

Russell had the final answer, setting a 1:22.559 to return Mercedes to the top of the standings.

The soft tires also brought the Racing Bulls into contention, with Arvid Lindblad and Yuki Tsunoda moving into the top 10.

Nico Hülkenberg was 13th, while Bortoleto remained on his earlier 1:23.776, set on hard tires. The Brazilian was the only driver yet to use the soft compound at that stage, but remained just 0.1s behind teammate Hülkenberg.

With 20 minutes remaining, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Lindblad, Bearman, Verstappen and Tsunoda occupied the top 10, all separated by less than 0.8s.

GRANDE PRÊMIO continues to cover every session of the Italian GP, the 13th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Italian GP F1 2026: FP2 results

FAQ

Who was fastest in FP2 at the Italian GP?
George Russell led the session for Mercedes with a 1:22.559, 0.120s ahead of Charles Leclerc.

How did Ferrari perform in FP2?
Leclerc finished 2nd with Ferrari’s upgraded power unit, while Lewis Hamilton was 5th.

Where did Max Verstappen finish?
Verstappen ended FP2 in 9th after struggling with grip and front-end instability in the RB22.