P1racenews AI automatic summary:
F1 Italian GP: Verstappen shades Sainz in FP1 by 0.046s
In the first practice session (FP1) of the Monza weekend, Max Verstappen set the fastest time with a lap of 1m22.657s on the hard compound tyres. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was initially in second place, but was beaten by Carlos Sainz’s lap of 1m22.703s.
Due to a new tyre allocation for the weekend, teams had to manage tyre usage, with only 11 sets available instead of the usual 13. Verstappen and Perez started the session on hard tyres, while others, like the Ferraris and Mercedes, used soft tyres.
Verstappen improved his time to 1m23.027s, extending his lead over Perez. Charles Leclerc also set a fast lap, sending him to third place. George Russell finished fifth, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris.
Yuki Tsunoda had the fastest first sector time, using two sets of soft tyres to secure the ninth fastest time. Alex Albon rounded out the top 10.
Meanwhile, the Williams drivers, Albon and Logan Sargeant, waited to join the session and eventually used soft tyres. Liam Lawson, standing in for Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri, finished 13th. Pierre Gasly completed 24 laps on a single set of soft tyres.
Valtteri Bottas had early issues at Alfa Romeo, with both cars experiencing clutch software problems. Both drivers also had complaints about the car’s balance, calling it “undrivable” due to aerodynamic stalling and bottoming out.
Source: Autosport.com
