Italian GP: Russell takes charge in FP2, leads Leclerc and Antonelli

George Russell edged Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc off the top of the timesheets in a closely fought second practice session at Monza, with Mercedes also claiming third through Kimi Antonelli as the Italian Grand Prix began to take shape.

Russell’s 1m22.559s effort proved enough to lead the way, but the Briton had little breathing room from either Leclerc or his Mercedes team-mate, who both showed strong pace throughout FP2.

The opening 20 minutes offered little indication of the fireworks to come, with drivers circulating on the hard compound and Russell initially setting the benchmark.

The complexion of the session changed when the soft tyres emerged in greater numbers. Antonelli immediately showed his potential by posting the fastest first sector, only to abandon his lap after encountering traffic through the Parabolica.

The Mercedes youngster was more fortunate on his next attempt, producing a 1m22.700s lap to seize first place. Russell responded with a 1m22.686s, before Leclerc edged ahead with a 1m22.679s.

Russell, however, had the final word in the shootout. He immediately improved to 1m22.559s, a time that would survive until the chequered flag as teams turned their attention to longer runs.

Leclerc therefore settled for second, just 0.120s adrift, with Antonelli another 0.141s behind his team-mate.

McLaren lurks as Red Bull struggles

Lando Norris continued to underline McLaren’s competitiveness by taking fourth, four-tenths off Russell, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was fifth ahead of Oscar Piastri.

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad was another standout performer, briefly occupying third before ending the session seventh. Oliver Bearman provided an encouraging result for Haas in eighth.

For Red Bull, however, Friday remained an uphill battle. Max Verstappen made his first appearance of the weekend after Ayumu Iwasa took over his RB22 in FP1 for the mandatory rookie running.

The reigning Dutch Grand Prix winner spent much of the session searching for a more agreeable balance, with a front-wing flap adjustment failing to produce the desired transformation.

Verstappen could manage only ninth, one place ahead of Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda. Liam Lawson, standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar, finished 12th behind Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.

Stroll under investigation

The session was largely incident-free, although Leclerc had a moment at the second chicane when his Ferrari stepped out over the high sausage kerbs.

More seriously, Lance Stroll found himself under investigation after emerging from the pitlane and veering into the path of Norris, forcing the McLaren driver to take evasive action.

Audi also endured a worrying moment when Gabriel Bortoleto’s V6 began sounding unhealthy, prompting the Brazilian to abandon his planned running early.

With long-run data now gathered, the focus shifts to Saturday – and Russell’s narrow advantage suggests qualifying could be another fascinating three-way fight between Mercedes and Ferrari.

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