It seems like a duel between McLaren and Ferrari is on the cards over the Italian Grand Prix weekend, as was the case in Monza last year. Ten drivers lapped within less than four tenths of each other in FP2, so qualifying looks set to be a very exciting battle to decide grid positions for Sunday afternoon’s race. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first session (1’20”117) ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc (1’20”286). Lando Norris topped the time sheet in the second session on 1’19”878, 83 thousandths quicker than Leclerc and 96 faster than Carlos Sainz (Williams) who has been team-mate to both, with the Englishman at McLaren and the Monegasque at Ferrari. The Spaniard was third in FP1 in 1’20”650.

Also catching the eye in Monza at our paddock hospitality as from today, a Stella Bianca (White Star) Pirelli tyre, as fitted to Giuseppe Farina’s Alfa Romeo on 13 May 1950 at Silverstone when he won the first Grand Prix to count towards the Drivers’ World Championship. Made in 1927, the Stella Bianca was a crossply tyre and was a real innovation at the time in terms of performance and technology and was in the tyre range for decades, the longest running tread pattern ever for Pirelli. The Stella Bianca featured all the innovations introduced in the 1920s, including a cord carcass fabric, low inflation pressure, and a “straight-side” bead profile. With the Stella Bianca, tread pattern technology also took a major leap forward, featuring a sophisticated combination of trapezoidal blocks firmly anchored by sturdy bridges to prevent tearing at high speeds. This tread design remained more or less unchanged until the Fifties and was eventually used in Formula 1 with Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati.

THE DAY ON TRACK:
In the first free practice session, five drivers- Lawson, Hadjar, Albon, Sainz and Bortoleto – used one of their two available sets of Hards. The Thai driver was the only one to also run a set of Mediums, with the others completing their remaining laps on a set of Softs, The other 15 drivers all used one set of Soft and one of Medium each.

In the second session, a further seven drivers - Leclerc, Hamilton, Antonelli, Russell, Ocon, Bearman and Hulkenberg – also ran a set of C3 before continuing on the C5. The other 12 started the session on the C4 before switching to the softest of the three compounds in use this weekend. All three compounds were also used for long runs.

Simone Berra: Chief Engineer:
“After a first session which had several interruptions costing everyone valuable time, the second hour went more smoothly, with the teams running a fairly standard programme. It was interesting to see how all three available compounds were used for race simulations. Compared to last year, graining does not seem to be a factor. The level of it seen today is much more localised on the surface of the tyre and did not appear across the board, but on just a few cars. We believe that, as the track gradually rubbers in, it should disappear, especially during Sunday’s race.

In terms of strategy, given that degradation seems rather limited, the one-stop would seem to be the only plausible option, with on paper the Medium and Hard being used. However, use of the Soft for 15 to 20 laps cannot be ruled out for any drivers who manage to run a very long first stint, trying to make the most of its better performance. Furthermore, as it’s likely that by the time of the race all drivers should only have one remaining set of Mediums one of Hard available, the Soft could become an option, especially in the event of a neutralisation and therefore, knowing how it performs over a long distance could be useful. In terms of the time gap between the compounds, simulations seem to be in line with what has been seen on track today, namely four to five tenths between Medium and Soft and two tenths between Hard and Medium.

“Today’s lap times were considerably quicker than in these sessions last year, with an improvement of around nine tenths, mainly down to temperatures being lower by about ten degrees. Times came down very quickly in the first session because of track evolution, while they pretty much stabilised in the second.

“If the Soft proved capable of setting faster times even after a couple of cooling down laps, that was mainly down to track evolution. In fact, we believe that in tomorrow’s qualifying the first flying lap will see peak performance so we will be treated to a classic qualifying format."

FORMULA 2
Luke Browning secured his first Aramco Pole Position Award, fastest in qualifying with the Hitech TGR team in Monza. The Williams Racing Development driver set a best time of 1’32”390, ahead of Richard Verschoor and Kush Maini for DAMS Lucas Oil. But the MP Motorsport driver had his time disallowed for bringing out the red flags at the end of the session. Unlike last year, there is no jump in compounds for this weekend’s event. Pirelli has brought that the Supersoft as the softest compound, but has replaced the Medium used in 2024 with the Soft. This more aggressive choice means drivers could have to be careful in how they manage the end of their stint on Medium, if they are unable to do so effectively earlier, especially for those who spend plenty of time stuck in traffic.

For the Feature Race, it’s likely that the majority of the grid will start off on the Supersoft up until the pit stop window is open, as was the case last year. In 2024, almost half the field stopped at the earliest opportunity, but were then caught out by a Safety Car on the following lap which meant the others were able to change tyres while losing far less time. Amongst these was Brazil’s Gabriel Bortoleto, now racing in F1 for Sauber, who managed to win the race from last place on the grid.

FORMULA 3
Brad Benavides took his second Aramco Pole Position Award of the season with a superb last lap in qualifying. The AIX Racing driver set an incredible time of 1’38”120. Running in the B group, the American beat Noel León of PREMA Racing who was quickest in the second group by 0’262m while Ugo Ugochukwu, quickest in the A group in 1’38”613 will line up alongside Benavides on the front row.

For the final round of the season, drivers have a choice of the Soft and the Medium carried over from the previous round in Budapest, at which Rafael Camara clinched the title. As per the regulations, the harder compound may only be used during FP1. The track was resurfaced exactly one year ago and should have the same grip qualities as experienced back then. Therefore, degradation could be significant, providing a further challenge for those drivers who struggle to manage their tyres well, especially in the closing stages of the race.