Mercedes and Ferrari leave Friday neck and neck

George Russell ended Friday fastest at Monza in 1m22.559s, 0.120s ahead of Charles Leclerc and 0.141s clear of Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari had opened the day with a Leclerc-Hamilton one-two without soft tyres. Both sessions therefore point to the same conclusion: Mercedes and Ferrari have the pace to fight at the front, with no clear favourite yet.

Motorsport.com’s corrected long-run analysis has Leclerc and Hamilton level, Russell only 0.02s per lap behind and Antonelli 0.04s back. Fuel loads and engine modes remain unknown, so tow, traffic, electrical deployment and lap execution may matter as much as raw pace. Ferrari recovered time in sector three, Mercedes looked stronger early in the lap and in top speed, and Leclerc spun late without damage.