Russell crashes Ferrari’s Monza party in FP2

The morning had been all red. The afternoon, not so much. George Russell put in a 1:22.559 late in FP2 and took some of the shine off the celebration Ferrari had sparked a few hours earlier with its one two. Leclerc finished second, just 0.120s back, with Mercedes clawing back ground in a way Maranello probably wasn’t expecting quite this soon.

What stands out isn’t just who won, but how tight the whole field was: the entire top 10 fit inside less than a second, with Tsunoda in tenth just 0.896s off Russell’s benchmark. That points to a genuinely close weekend, the kind where Saturday’s qualifying can flip the picture on a few thousandths of a second.

The fight for the top spot is worth breaking down. Leclerc briefly led with a 1:22.679 after requesting a front-wing adjustment, before Russell answered with his final lap. Before that, Antonelli had topped the sheet with a 1:22.700, just seven thousandths ahead of Leclerc at one point in the session. Three cars trading the lead by hundredths that’s how tight Monza is shaping up.

Antonelli, fast again despite the penalty he already knows is coming

Kimi Antonelli finished third, confirming his pace at Monza has nothing to do with where he’ll actually start on Sunday. The Italian already knows he’s starting from the back due to his engine change, so every quick lap here is almost a symbolic exercise proof the car works, even if it won’t help his grid slot. At one point he got blocked by an Audi at Parabolica and had to abort his lap, a minor moment but one that says something about how packed the track gets with 22 cars all chasing quick times at once.

Colapinto climbs, Verstappen still searching

Franco Colapinto improved on his morning position, closing FP2 in P11 at +1.060s after opening the session with a 1:25.174 on the hard tyre before working his time down. Nothing spectacular, but a trend worth tracking heading into qualifying.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, still hasn’t found his rhythm at Monza this weekend ninth, 0.818s off the pace and without the sharpness Red Bull has shown at other tracks lately. Worth watching whether this is a track specific setup issue or something bigger.

Off track, a ruling that changes the Monaco podium

While FP2 was running, news broke that has nothing to do with Monza but shakes up the championship picture: the FIA’s International Court of Appeal reinstated Pierre Gasly’s two five-second penalties from Monaco, following an appeal from McLaren and Red Bull. That strips Gasly of his podium finish and hands it back to Isack Hadjar. A tough blow for Alpine, which had been celebrating that result as one of its best of the season.

Qualifying starts tomorrow, Saturday, at 4:00 PM local time. With the top 10 this tight, any of six or seven cars up front could realistically fight for pole. Ferrari showed its friendly face at home, but Mercedes just made it clear it isn’t handing anything over.

2026 Italian Grand Prix — FP2 Results (Monza)

Do you think Russell can hold this pace into qualifying, or is Ferrari holding something back for Saturday? Drop your prediction in the comments.

Sources: ScuderiaFans, Total Motorsport, GPblog, Pit Debrief, RacingNews365, Auto India Daily