George Russell Tops FP2 Times at Monza, Mercedes Sets Pace
George Russell silenced the Tifosi on Friday afternoon, beating Charles Leclerc to the top of the timesheets in second practice at Monza and stamping Mercedes authority on Ferrari’s home weekend – at least for now.
The Briton, sharp from the opening laps, owned FP2. Leclerc, who had thrilled the home crowd by heading FP1, had to settle for second.
Mercedes call the tune
From the moment the session settled, it was the two silver cars trading blows at the front. Russell looked the more comfortable, edging championship leader Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes worked through its programme with minimal outside interference.
Antonelli’s day came with a caveat. He already knows he will start from the back on Sunday thanks to engine-change penalties, yet his pace remained a clear reference. His first serious soft-tyre lap was wrecked when he caught an Audi at Parabolica, handing Russell clear air and a clear advantage.
Russell, though, did not finish the session entirely relaxed. After topping the order on two successive soft runs, he radioed in a worrying suspension vibration in the closing stages, urging the team to investigate before qualifying day.
Ferrari’s hope – and a scare
Leclerc’s response came late. With just over 13 minutes left, long after Mercedes had switched into heavier-fuel, longer runs, the Ferrari driver bolted on softs and split the two Mercedes to grab second. It kept the grandstands onside and confirmed Ferrari’s one-lap threat.
Then came the jolt.
Pushing again, Leclerc had a huge spin at the Variante della Roggia with just under 10 minutes to go, looping the Ferrari through the chicane runoff. He avoided the barriers and rejoined, but the moment underlined how close to the edge the field is running at Monza’s brutal braking zones.
Norris survives early drama
The session’s other flashpoint involved the form man of the grid. Lando Norris, winner of the last two grands prix, found himself skating across the grass at Turn 1 in an incident with Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin near the start of FP2. It could have been far uglier.
Norris recovered and still ended the day fourth, again ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. The pair then offered a glimpse of Sunday. In the final 10 minutes, they ran nose-to-tail for an extended spell, seemingly simulating race conditions, lines, and DRS tactics at a circuit where track position is everything.
Between them on the timesheets sat Lewis Hamilton in fifth. The seven-time champion couldn’t quite live with Leclerc’s Ferrari over a lap despite showing similar promise in FP1. Run plans and fuel loads cloud the picture, but the raw stopwatch suggested Russell carries the Mercedes spear into qualifying.
Midfield fight ignites
Behind the established front-runners, Arvid Lindblad produced one of the standout performances of the afternoon. The Racing Bulls driver spent much of the opening half-hour lodged in the top three and eventually finished an impressive seventh, leading the midfield.
Right behind him came Ollie Bearman, who is carrying Haas hopes and hardware this weekend. Bearman is the only Haas driver running the upgraded Ferrari power unit at Monza, with Esteban Ocon – only 18th in FP2 – having been prioritised for other upgrades in recent rounds. With just one new engine available, Haas split the specification.
The engine comes paired with an aero update package as the American team scrambles to arrest a miserable run of six consecutive point-less grands prix. Bearman’s top-10 presence offered at least a hint that the direction might be right.
Verstappen fights the car
Max Verstappen’s first real taste of Monza this weekend turned sour almost immediately. After Ayumu Iwasa handled FP1 duties, the reigning champion climbed into the car for FP2 and spent most of the hour venting his frustration.
First came complaints of “no downforce,” prompting a front wing change. Then he reported a lack of grip in the slow corners. Then braking problems. Later still, Verstappen said the car was “jumping” on the front axle, describing a bouncing sensation that left Red Bull engineers with a long list of issues to unpick overnight.
On the timesheets, it showed. Verstappen ended up only ninth, behind Bearman and just ahead of the second Racing Bulls entry of Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver is making a second straight appearance for the team in place of Liam Lawson, who remains on Red Bull duty as substitute for the injured Isack Hadjar.
Lawson himself finished 12th, one place behind Franco Colapinto in the lead Alpine.
Alpine’s upgrade and a narrow escape
Colapinto has Alpine’s latest upgrade package on his car for the first time this weekend and immediately made use of it, outpacing his team-mate in FP2 and muscling his way into the midfield mix.
His session nearly ended in the barriers. Late on, he ran wide and found the gravel on the exit of Ascari, somehow gathering the car up before it snapped fully away from him. It was a stark reminder that Monza punishes even the smallest misjudgment.
As the sun dipped and the engines cooled, Russell’s name sat alone at the top of the FP2 times. Ferrari have the crowd, Red Bull have the pedigree, McLaren have the form. On Friday, though, it was Mercedes – and Russell – who owned the stopwatch.
