A number of incidents and rainy weather hampered the drivers at Monza, but Leclerc set the pace with a time of 1m 27.905s to finish the session ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton was fourth fastest.
FP2 on Friday takes place from 2pm to 3.30pm.
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Ferrari come into their home race on the back of their first victory of the season last weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Leclerc’s superb drive at Spa was his maiden win in Formula 1 and he is excited to be racing at Monza in front of the Tifosi, Ferrari’s loyal fans.
“Last year, coming to Monza was probably one of the best experiences of my life,” said Leclerc. “The support I had, even though I was not a Ferrari driver, was unbelievable.
“So I can’t imagine now. Obviously, I just won my first race in Formula 1, so I’m pretty sure the welcome will be as great as it was last year but probably even more now, firstly driving for Ferrari and especially because I had my first win in Formula 1. So I’m really looking forward to arriving in Italy.”
Binotto seeks perfection
Mercedes have a 145-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship and Silver Arrows duo Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are No.1 and No.2 in the drivers’ standings.
World champion Hamilton will be aiming for his sixth career win in Italy.
Despite breaking their season duck at Spa last weekend Ferrari know that winning the Italian GP will be a tough challenge.
Team principal Mattia Binotto says the Scuderia must have a perfect weekend at Monza.
“The win in Spa is important for our fans, hopefully many will join us in Monza to support us,” he said. “We’ve seen that to win, we need to do everything perfect, from the quali, to the start, to the team management, to the drivers themselves, so nothing can be left.
“I expect that it will be very difficult in Monza so we will need to be perfect there, knowing that Mercedes may be competitive as well.”
Monza remains on calendar
The Italian Grand Prix will remain at Monza until 2024 at least after a deal was agreed between F1 and the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI).
F1 chief Chase Carey said: “There are 22 races, but only one Monza and only one Italian audience.”
2019 F1 Italian GP race guide
Circuit name: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
First grand prix: 1950
Number of laps: 53
Circuit length: 5.793km
Race distance: 306.72km
Lap record: 1:21.046 by Rubens Barrichello in 2004
2018 podium: 1st Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 2nd Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari); 3rd Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
When are the practice sessions?
There are three full practice (FP) sessions in Italy. On Friday 6 September FP1 takes place from 10am-11.30am and FP2 is from 2pm-3.30pm. FP3 will be from 11am-12pm on Saturday 7 September. All times UK.
When is qualifying?
Qualifying for the F1 Italian GP starts at 2pm on Saturday 7 September.
What time does the race start?
The 2019 F1 Italian Grand Prix starts at 2.10pm (UK time) on Sunday 8 September.
(Image credit: John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)
Italian GP predictions: who will win?
The Daily Telegraph: Charles Leclerc
“Given Ferrari’s massive straight-line advantage over Mercedes in Belgium it’d be difficult to see anything other than Ferrari emerging on top here. At Spa Mercedes were able to fight back in the middle sector but there aren’t really any tighter, long-radius corners that exist at Monza so they may struggle. I suppose that means they could try a contrary strategy to try and disrupt Ferrari but it’s not like they are in any danger of losing either title so they may just try and settle for a solid, error-free weekend and finishing in third and fourth. I [correctly!] predicted the winner last week and I think it’ll be the same winner this weekend. Podium prediction: 1st Leclerc 2nd Vettel 3rd Hamilton.”
Bwin: Charles Leclerc
“We picked the wrong Ferrari driver in Belgium but are now switching over to Charles Leclerc in our Italian Grand Prix predictions. The 21-year-old became the third-youngest pilot in the sport’s history to claim a race victory when obliging at Spa-Francorchamps ahead of Lewis Hamilton.”
GPBlog: Ferrari the team to beat
“The high-speed low downforce circuit should suit the Ferraris so we can expect them to be the team to beat. After Charles Leclerc’s impressive win at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, he will be looking to build on this momentum and get another race win under his belt. It is hard to think that Mercedes won’t bounce back and the battle at the front is going to be tight. The midfield battle is set to be as tight as ever with McLaren looking to return after their disappointing double retirement from Spa. Toro Rosso will hope to stay ahead of Renault but anything could happen at the iconic circuit of Monza.”
Matthew Atkinson, The Stats Zone: Charles Leclerc
“With Ferrari proving to have the straight-line power advantage over the Mercedes in Spa we are, hopefully, in for another tight battle in Monza between the two-top teams. The Italian GP is characterised by long straights. This will be Ferrari’s main advantage. Although Mercedes will be challenging and have good race pace, realistically this weekend should be about Ferrari. With the impressive and measured form Leclerc displayed in Belgium, and his dazzling one-lap qualifying speed, it is hard to bet against him this weekend. The prediction is for Leclerc to take the chequered flag and claim his second F1 victory.”
Leigh Copson, Betting Pro: Charles Leclerc
“Out of the two Ferrari drivers it is Leclerc with the momentum going into this weekend, so I am going to back the young Monegasque for back-to-back victories. However, I am not just backing him to win the race, I am also backing him to start from pole position. Leclerc has set the standard in qualifying on three occasions this season and on a track that will favour the top speed of Ferrari it is a good bet that he will claim his fourth pole position of the season before going on to win the race itself.”
Bookies.com: Lewis Hamilton
“Leclerc and everyone else in the field will have their hands full catching Lewis Hamilton, a master at Monza in recent years. Hamilton is the defending race winner and has been the dominant force at Monza with five wins, a record he shares with Michael Schumacher.”
Sky Sports F1 will show live coverage of practice, qualifying and the GP from Monza. Channel 4 will show highlights of qualifying and the race.
Watch F1 on Now TV
Formula 1 fans can also watch the action live on Now TV. Viewers can subscribe to a Sky Sports Day Pass via Now TV for just £8.99, the most economical way of watching each race.
Sky Sports F1 coverage of the Italian GP Friday 6 September
9.45am: practice one build-up
10am: practice one
12.45pm: live from the Italian GP
1.45pm: practice two build-up
2pm: practice two
4.30pm: Italian GP Story So Far
Saturday 7 September
10.15am: live from the Italian GP
10.45am: practice three build-up
11am: practice three
12.10pm: paddock walk
12.30pm: live from the Italian GP
1pm: qualifying build-up
2pm: Italian GP qualifying live
4.45pm: The F1 Show
Sunday 8 September
9.15am: live from the Italian GP
10.30am (on Sky One): The F1 Show
10.40am: live from the Italian GP
12.30pm: Pit Lane live
1.30pm: On The Grid (simulcast on Sky Sports Main Event)
2.10pm: F1 Italian Grand Prix live (simulcast on Sky Sports Main Event)
4pm: Italian GP Paddock
5pm: Italian GP Notebook
5.30pm: Italian GP best bits
6pm: race highlights (simulcast on Sky One)
7pm: Italian GP race replay
Channel 4 coverage of the Italian GP
Saturday 7 September, 6.30pm: highlights from qualifying at Monza
Sunday 8 September, 7pm: Steve Jones, with David Coulthard, Mark Webber and Stefano Domenicali, presents highlights from the Italian Grand Prix
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