Max Verstappen found his feet during FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix, leading the way from Ferrari favourite Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris as the drivers readjusted to the latest circuit changes – while hotly-tipped Mercedes prospect Kimi Antonelli found the barriers on his FP1 debut.
After a tough weekend on home soil in Zandvoort, Verstappen bounced back to set the pace with a timed lap of 1m 21.676s.
FP1: Verstappen heads Leclerc during first practice at Monza as Antonelli crashes on debut
It was a busy session as Mercedes junior Antonelli underwent his highly anticipated first practice, setting the fastest lap on his initial attempt on soft tyres just a few minutes in.
The rookie was then flying around the track setting intermittent fastest sectors until a big snap sent him crashing into the barriers, halting the session after just 10 minutes. He was thankfully uninjured, but his first appearance for Mercedes ended prematurely.
Elsewhere, Williams’ Franco Colapinto – replacing Logan Sargeant at the team for the rest of the season – set the 17th fastest time, ending the session with a trip over the gravel as he found himself six-tenths away from team mate Alex Albon.
Click play on the video above to catch the highlights from FP1 at Monza.
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