The Italian Grand Prix started with a rather spicy lead-up and not without problems, with the Red Bull driver being the fastest in the first practice session.
The pit lane had barely opened when Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had been given George Russell's car for FP1, crashed it into the wall in Parabolica (which, by the way, had been given a new name...), at a serious pace. All this in front of his own audience and probably before the announcement of his contract with Mercedes. The incident was "naturally" red-flagged, and raises quite a few questions about the team's much-criticized quality policy... However, the other rookie in the field, Franco Colapinto, performed much better, although he also had a slip, but much safer, and most importantly, with a result, leading Williams. Apart from that, it was not a buzzing session, where the two Scuderia Ferraris and Oscar Piastri drove the best pace. Until the last moment, when Max Verstappen arrived and took this stage ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
