2024 F1 Round 16 – Italian Grand Prix FP1: Verstappen fastest in 1:21.676 as rising star Antonelli crashes on his debut, bringing out the red flag

The Italian Grand Prix, round 16 of the 2024 F1 season, got under way at Monza in the early evening of August 30, China Standard Time (UTC+8). In Friday’s opening free practice session, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the times with a 1:21.676. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, running a major upgrade package, was second, 0.228 seconds behind, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third; RB’s Yuki Tsunoda was 13th. Meanwhile, the eagerly anticipated official debut of Mercedes’ 18-year-old rising star Kimi Antonelli ended in a high-speed crash.

In a bid to secure a contract renewal, Monza completed a comprehensive circuit overhaul ahead of this year’s race: the entire track was resurfaced, 2.5-metre-wide gravel run-off areas were added on the left of Turn 2 and the right of the second chicane, and some of the kerbs at Ascari were also modified. A number of drivers, led by Yuki Tsunoda, were critical of the changes, feeling that the “Temple of Speed” was losing its character.

The home fans’ attention had initially been on Antonelli. The Italian rookie, whose move to Mercedes was about to be officially announced, stood in for George Russell and drove the No. 12 car in his first official F1 practice session. He went straight to the top of the timesheets on his first flying lap, but after the session began he lost control at Parabolica and hit the barriers at high speed, causing a red-flag stoppage of around 14 minutes. Fortunately, Antonelli escaped serious injury and climbed out of the car unaided before heading to the medical centre. Team principal Toto Wolff reassured him over the radio: “Kimi, it’s OK, it’s OK.” Mercedes had planned to run different floors on its two cars for comparison testing, but that plan was scuppered, and the mechanics also faced around three hours of urgent repairs before the start of FP2.

Also making his debut was Williams’ Franco Colapinto. The team dropped Logan Sargeant after the Dutch Grand Prix and handed the remaining nine races to the Argentine rookie. He diligently logged plenty of mileage during the session; although he too lost control at Parabolica and ran into the gravel late on, he avoided hitting the wall and finished his debut session 17th, 0.660 seconds behind team-mate Alex Albon. With the air temperature at 32°C and the track temperature above 50°C, Verstappen, who had gone five consecutive races without a win, set a benchmark lap 0.2 seconds faster than Leclerc. Carlos Sainz placed fourth in the other Ferrari at the team’s home race, while Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas was an impressive fifth; Fernando Alonso was 10th for Aston Martin, which had brought a new rear wing. Yuki Tsunoda tested both the hardest compound, C3, and the soft tyres during the session, ultimately placing 13th, 0.109 seconds behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who finished the session on medium tyres.

The second free practice session was due to take place later that evening, China Standard Time (UTC+8).