Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 01, 2023 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MONZA, Italy – The 2023 Formula 1 calendar shifts back into gear as the series heads to the Monza Circuit, also known as the Temple of Speed, one of the fastest circuits on the F1 schedule. Mother Nature made things an exciting show at Circuit Zandvoort last time with cars slipping and sliding around on a wet track. However, the sun and grip met drivers during the opening practice sessions for the Italian Grand Prix.
Like the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend ahead of the F1 Summer Break, teams faced a challenge from tire supplier Pirelli as they were supplied with 11 sets of tires instead of the typical 13 sets on most weekends. This same format also sees teams change their qualifying strategy for Saturday, as teams will have to run specific tires in specific rounds.
Also, in the lead-in for the Italian Grand Prix weekend, one of the most significant questions of the F1 Silly Season was finally answered as Mercedes AMG announced that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will remain with the team until at least 2025. Now the focus shifts to their battle to return to the top of the Constructors Championship once again as they try to battle against the ever-increasing dominance from Red Bull.
The man searching for a record-breaking 10th Grand Prix victory in a row, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen started the Friday practice sessions setting the pace in the first free practice. Meanwhile, teams were already facing how to handle the limited sets of tires through the rest of the weekend.
Home-track favorite Ferrari showed strength in the first practice session. They split the Red Bull pair of Verstappen and Sergio Perez, with Carlos Sainz taking second quickest and Charles Leclerc picking up fourth fastest in the session. Following behind them came Russell’s new contract solidifying his home for the next few years, rounding out the top five on the timing sheets.
Flashes of gold. 🤩
We're ready for our home weekend at the Temple of Speed. 🇮🇹#ItalianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/bymKGiX2Yf
— Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake (@alfaromeostake) August 31, 2023
While a relatively quiet practice session, it wasn’t without drama. Alfa Romeo, sporting a special livery for their home race, didn’t have the start to Friday as they would have hoped. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu faced minor car issues that curtailed how much track time they could have. However, problems were fixed and both drivers could make a timed lap.
The second free practice session was not as quiet as the previous one, as a pair of red flags forced drivers to return to the pit lane at different points. Meanwhile, teams were still working on tire strategy to conserve some tires for the rest of the weekend.
Carlos Sainz (55) runs practice laps in his Ferrari at the Monza Circuit ahead of the Italian Grand Prix (Photo: Scuderia Ferrari)
Bringing out the first red flag of the session was Lance Stroll, who was about to start his first laps of the weekend following Aston Martin giving their Junior Driver Felipe Drugovich a mandated free practice session. Due to a fuel pump issue, Lance Stroll had just started making his way around the track before crawling to a stop at the Ascari chicane. It was not the start to the weekend Stroll or Aston Martin would like as they are trying to fight for second in the Constructors’ Standings.
One of the more notable things about the Monza Circuit is using the tow between drivers to get as fast in time as possible. That’s where the fastest laps of the session came from as drivers worked with their teammates to get qualifying simulations in. Ferrari, sporting their special livery for the weekend by paying tribute to their Le Mans winning car this year, had all the chips fall into place in the second session as Sainz set the fastest lap to top the timing charts. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri also showed the pace of the McLaren as they continued their fight up the standings.
It looks even better in person 😍 🔥#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/cW1tAnxP54
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) August 31, 2023
While some teams got lucky with traffic, Red Bull faced the other end of the coin. Perez set the third fastest time of the day, but Verstappen did not get as lucky cutting through traffic and had to settle with rounding out the top five. But while Perez went quickly, he also beached in the gravel. Running wide in the Curva Alboreto, Perez slid into the gravel, ending his day early.
With the two Friday practice sessions completed, teams and drivers now focus on Saturday for the final and qualifying sessions. Hitting their marks with the selected tires and getting the best tow at the best time will be what to look out for as the grid hopes to grab the pole at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
