2025 F1 Italian GP FP1 and FP2: What did we learn?

The first day of running in the 2025 F1 Italian GP is done and dusted, and we have a familiar name in Lando Norris at the top of the standings. The McLaren driver nailed a strong enough lap on his qualifying simulation to secure top position, even though the gap between him and the chasing pack was not much.

In P2, we have Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, only a tenth behind, and he is followed by Carlos Sainz, who put together a very impressive lap to secure P3.

The group was all bunched together here, and it does give more hope to quite a few. With that being said, what did we learn from the first day of running in the F1 Italian GP? Let's take a look.

2025 F1 Italian GP FP1 and FP2: Key Takeaways

#1 McLaren is fastest but vulnerable

We have McLaren at the top of the standings, but it's not necessarily a safe position to be in, as the car does appear to be a bit vulnerable on the track. The top speed is a tad slower than rivals, and couple that with the fact that the car had quite a few off-track moments with both cars, and it's not going to be a straightforward thing.

Inherently, McLaren seems to have the pace to secure pole position for the F1 Italian GP, but it could easily lose out to its closest rivals.

#2 Ferrari might be running higher engine modes

The straight-line speeds shown by Ferrari during both FP1 and FP2 are probably an indication that the team is maybe trying to keep the morale high for the Tifosi.

Charles Leclerc ended both FP1 and FP2 in P2, which does show that the car is strong. But is the less than a tenth gap we see on the timesheets real? It might not be the case.

#3 Williams is going to mix it up with the top 4 teams

Williams was always going to be one midfield team that was going to prove to be the Achilles heel for the frontrunners, and that has exactly been the case. The Grove-based team is brilliant out of traction zones, and it continues to nail them in Monza.

Where it ends up in the top 10 in the F1 Italian GP is arguably going to come down to the timing of the lap. Most importantly, a question that many fans would have been wondering about right now, yes, the pace is genuine.

#4 Aston Martin and Alpine are at the back

Aston Martin showed a few signs of life early in both the F1 Italian GP FP1 and FP2, but the reality is that the draggy nature of the car is now a part of its DNA, and it's going to be very hard to change that.

Alpine, at the same time, just doesn't have the power unit at the back of the car to ultimately prove to be a credible threat at Monza. This has been the case for a few years now, and it is continuing to be the case this season as well.

#5 The racing on Sunday is not going to be great

One thing that should alarm almost everyone who was watching the Friday practice sessions is that the rear wings are almost nonexistent. They are as thin as possible here, and this has led to a scenario where the primary tool to pull off overtakes, i.e., the DRS, is as good as nullified.

The race on Sunday might not be the best one in terms of wheel-to-wheel racing because the DRS might not be able to give the driver much of an advantage down the straight.