Norris Leads Tight Italian GP Practice, Calls Field ‘Too Close’

Norris Leads Monza Practice but Calls Field ‘A Bit Too Close for Comfort’

McLaren’s Lando Norris set the fastest time in Friday’s Italian Grand Prix practice sessions at Monza, but was quick to express concern over the competitiveness of the field heading into qualifying.

“I just need to make the gap a bit bigger to make things a bit more comfortable,” said Norris after finishing 0.083 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

The British driver is eager to regain ground on teammate Oscar Piastri, who currently leads him by 34 points in the championship standings following Norris’ DNF in Zandvoort.

McLaren Shows Promise, but Rivals Close In

Behind Norris, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz showed strong pace in front of the home crowd. Oscar Piastri finished fourth fastest, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, rounding out a top six covered by just 0.3 seconds.

“This is the complete opposite of Zandvoort in terms of downforce. We knew we’d be slightly off in low-downforce trim,” Norris admitted. “It makes things trickier. The competitors catch up.”

Despite a few minor off-track moments, including Norris sliding through the Roggia chicane and Piastri touching the gravel at Lesmo 2, McLaren appear reasonably comfortable on a track that historically hasn’t suited them.

Piastri Recovers from FP1 Absence

Piastri missed Free Practice 1 (FP1) to allow McLaren junior Alex Dunne to gain experience. Despite the setback, the Australian was within 0.181 seconds of Norris in FP2.

“Not doing P1, I had catching up to do, but I hit the ground running,” said Piastri. “The car felt good. I might’ve missed the ideal setup on the softs, but I’m happy with the second lap.”

Hamilton’s Ferrari Debut at Monza Draws Attention

Lewis Hamilton, now racing for Ferrari, topped the FP1 timesheets in an emotional debut at Monza in red.

“To drive out the garage in a red car is all I ever thought it would be and more,” he said. “P1 was strong, but P2 was a struggle. We made changes we can reverse.”

Hamilton faces a five-place grid penalty for an infringement in the Dutch Grand Prix, making a strong qualifying session even more critical for Sunday’s race.

Red Flag as Antonelli Spins

The only red flag of the day came courtesy of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who spun off at Lesmo 2 during FP2. Fortunately, there was no major damage and the Italian rookie walked away unhurt.

Surprise of the Day: Carlos Sainz

Despite not leading any session, Carlos Sainz consistently ranked in the top three.

“The car felt strong from the start, but I’m not fully confident yet. Turn 7 and 11 are tricky for me, but if we fix that, we’ll be right in the mix.”

What’s Next?

Final practice and qualifying take place Saturday at Monza before Sunday’s race kicks off at 14:00 BST. All sessions will be covered live via BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sport’s website and app.

Can Norris convert early promise into a pole position? Will Ferrari rise on home turf? And can Hamilton overcome his penalty to challenge at the front?

Stay tuned for updates as the Monza weekend unfolds.