George Russell Tops Monza FP2 with Stunning Lap Time
George Russell edged a frantic second practice at Monza on Friday afternoon, beating home favourite Charles Leclerc to the top of the times by just 0.120s in a session that briefly turned into a qualifying-style shootout.
The Mercedes driver stopped the clocks at 1m22.559s, a lap that arrived right in the heart of a mid-session sprint between Russell, Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli – the Italian prodigy who again underlined why Mercedes rate him so highly.
Soft tyres, sharp elbows
For 20 minutes, FP2 barely flickered. The field circulated on hard tyres, Russell quietly leading the way but with little to hint at what was coming once the red-marked Pirelli softs appeared.
When they did, the session snapped into life.
Antonelli fired the first warning. On his initial push lap on softs he lit up the first sector, only to find a wall of traffic at the Parabolica and abort. Next time round he got the clear air he wanted and delivered: 1m22.700s, Mercedes to the top and the crowd suddenly paying attention to the teenager in silver.
Russell immediately answered. His 1m22.686s nudged Antonelli aside, but the response from Ferrari was instant. Leclerc, fastest in FP1 and desperate to keep Ferrari on top at home, produced a 1m22.679s to reclaim the headline spot by thousandths.
The duel lasted seconds.
Russell went again and this time found a cleaner, more composed lap. His 1m22.559s not only restored Mercedes to the front, it set a benchmark no one could touch for the rest of the hour.
From there, the fireworks faded as teams peeled off into their long-run programmes. The order at the top stayed frozen: Russell from Leclerc, with Antonelli holding an impressive third.
Norris lurking, Hamilton in the mix
Behind the leading trio, Lando Norris kept his title momentum simmering. The reigning world champion, winner of the last two grands prix, slotted into fourth, four tenths down on Russell but close enough to stay firmly in the conversation for the rest of the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton completed a strong day for Ferrari in fifth, the second red car just ahead of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. The gaps were small, the intent anything but.
Arvid Lindblad added a dash of surprise. The Racing Bulls youngster briefly ran as high as third in the early phases and eventually banked the seventh-fastest time, a tidy effort on a day when the midfield looked tight. Behind him, Oliver Bearman delivered a timely boost for Haas with eighth, an encouraging sign for a team that has spent much of the season on the back foot.
Verstappen’s late start, Red Bull’s search
This was Max Verstappen’s first real taste of the weekend. He had handed his Red Bull to reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa in FP1 for a mandatory rookie outing, and arrived in FP2 playing catch-up.
The familiar Friday story at Red Bull returned. Verstappen chased balance rather than lap time, the team tweaking front wing flap angles and searching for a more compliant RB22. The breakthrough never quite came. He ended the session only ninth, the fastest of the Red Bull entries but nowhere near the sharp end where he normally lives.
Just behind, Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10 for Racing Bulls. The Japanese driver is on a second consecutive weekend back with his former team, while Liam Lawson steps into the senior Red Bull seat in place of the injured Isack Hadjar. Lawson closed FP2 in 12th, just behind Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.
Leclerc’s scare, Stroll in the spotlight
Incidents were rare but sharp when they arrived.
Leclerc had the biggest on-track scare, losing the rear of his Ferrari over the aggressive sausage kerbs at the second chicane and spinning. He escaped without damage, a reminder of how fine the margins are when pushing for lap time at Monza.
Lance Stroll faces a sterner review. As the Aston Martin driver exited the pitlane, he drifted carelessly into the path of Norris, who had to jink away to avoid contact. The near-miss drew immediate attention, and the FIA stewards will investigate the impeding incident after the session.
At Audi, concern centred on the sound coming from Gabriel Bortoleto’s car rather than its speed. A rough-sounding V6 forced the Brazilian to cut his programme short, an unwelcome complication on a day built for data gathering.
Russell, though, ended his Friday with everything he needed: a clean lap, a statement time, and a marker laid down on Ferrari’s home turf. Now Monza waits to see whether that 1m22.559s was just a rehearsal – or the first sign Mercedes are ready to spoil the party in red.
