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Russell Tops Monza FP2; Mercedes Clear by Seven Tenths

Answer
Confirmed

George Russell posted 1m22.559s to lead FP2 at the Italian Grand Prix, 0.120s clear of Charles Leclerc, with Kimi Antonelli completing a strong Mercedes top three. All 22 regular drivers were present; notable incidents included a Leclerc spin and a Stroll/Norris close call.

FP2 Classification: Top Ten

  1. George Russell (Mercedes) 1m22.559s
  2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.120s
  3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.141s
  4. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.384s
  5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.457s
  6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.469s
  7. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +0.790s
  8. Ollie Bearman (Haas) +0.811s
  9. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.818s
  10. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) +0.896s

[1]

Session Summary

Russell posted 1m22.559s, leaving the Mercedes driver 0.120s clear of Leclerc's Ferrari, with Antonelli just 0.021s further back. [1] The Mercedes duo were more than seven tenths clear of the rest of the field, who soon began to focus on their own Qualifying simulations. [1]

After opening laps on hard tyres, the session came to life after 20 minutes when the frontrunners switched to Pirelli's soft tyres, which had been used only sporadically in FP1. [3] Antonelli set a 1m22.700s lap to go top; Russell then took the lead with 1m22.686s; Leclerc responded with 1m22.679s before Russell reclaimed it with 1m22.559s. [3]

Incidents and Moments

Russell's time remained unbeaten until the chequered flag, leaving him clear of Leclerc, who suffered a spin at the second chicane in the final 10 minutes but rejoined unharmed. [1] Lance Stroll drifted across Lando Norris in the braking zone of Turn 1, for which the Aston Martin driver was investigated after the conclusion of track action for the day. [5]

Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided a massive crash late in the session after finding the gravel at the exit of Ascari. [2]

Long-Run and Race-Pace Picture

The final part of FP2 was devoted largely to higher-fuel running as teams assessed degradation and stint length on the compounds likely to matter on Sunday. [4] Both Mercedes drivers repeatedly traded fastest laps before Antonelli focused on long runs. [1]

Lando Norris, reigning world champion and winner of the last two grands prix, was fourth just four tenths behind Russell, while Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the second Ferrari, narrowly ahead of Oscar Piastri. [3]

Related reading

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp2-russell-beats-leclerc-and-antonelli-to-the-fastest-time-in-free-practice-2-ahead-of-italian-grand-prix.4mVLF757oe0NuWE9Caw1wO https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mercedes-leads-ferrari-f1-2026-italian-gp-what-you-need-to-know/ https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-italian-gp-fp2-report/10852238/ https://www.f1-fansite.com/f1-result/second-free-practice-report-results-2026-italian-f1-grand-prix/ https://racingnews365.com/2026-f1-italian-grand-prix-monza-free-practice-2-results

Sources
  1. [1]FP2 report and highlights: George Russell beats Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli (formula1). Accessed 2026-09-04.
  2. [2]Everything you need to know about Italian GP FP2 (the-race). Accessed 2026-09-04.
  3. [3]George Russell outpaces Charles Leclerc in FP2 (motorsport). Accessed 2026-09-04.
  4. [4]2026 Italian F1 GP FP2: Russell Beats Leclerc at Monza (f1-fansite). Accessed 2026-09-04.
  5. [5]2026 F1 Italian Grand Prix - Monza Free Practice 2 results (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-09-04.
Published 4 Sept 2026