Lewis Hamilton is forecasting an exceptionally close battle in the Italian Grand Prix qualifying session scheduled for Saturday. He describes the upcoming meeting as what he terms a “dream” opportunity for securing pole position at Monza.
Though Hamilton was edged out by his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in both Friday’s full and warm practice sessions, the overall performance of the team suggests they possess the pace required to challenge for the lead lap.
Leclerc topped Hamilton in the first practice, while Mercedes’ George Russell emerged as fastest during the second session, ranking second behind Leclerc with Hamilton finishing fifth, trailingly behind Kimi Antonelli and McLaren driver Lando Norris.
Ferrari prepares to qualify live on Sky Sports F1 at 3pm, holding a two‑versus‑one advantage over Mercedes because world championship leader Kimi Antonelli received penalties for exceeding his engine‑part allowance. Regardless of his final placement this week, Antonelli will start from the back of the grid.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“It’s going to be tight—it’s very close,” Hamilton stated. “We’re battling the McLarems and Mercedes, who are extremely competitive.”
“Every weekend the Mercedes is simply incredible. It’ll be tough, certainly, but we need to focus hard tonight and see if we can extract something positive.”
Responding to questions about the prospect of starting from the front row or achieving pole for Ferrari, Hamilton responded: “That’s the ultimate goal, obviously—a dream scenario.”
“Whether or not we can achieve this is the central question. It will require considerable work tonight to determine if anything went wrong and identify areas for improvement—there are numerous opportunities ahead to enhance performance.”
“Antonelli predicts ’tight fight’ for pole”
Even though he is not competing for the pole position, Antonelli concurs with Hamilton’s assessment that the race will be closely contested.
The 20-year-old Italian driver currently leads Russell and Hamilton by 59 points at the top of the classification, with Norris trailing by 83 points in fourth.
Mercedes have designated Antonelli’s home race as the optimal venue for him to serve his mandatory penalty stemming from exceeding his engine‑allowance limit, with the belief that attacking through the field during Sunday’s race will be simpler at Monza than on most other remaining tracks this season.
Antonelli remarked: “Today felt like a different day compared to routine. There was a lot more focus on extended stint runs, which did feel unusual—but overall, it was a solid turnout.”
“”
“We amassed a wealth of data and look forward to the next several days.”
“>Ferrari has demonstrated genuine progress with the new power unit, boosting lap times significantly. We recognize the car’s strength in corner entries; consequently, a decisive duel for pole tomorrow is highly anticipated.
‘Struggling’ Norris lacks pole contention
Norris entered Italy confidently after claiming back‑to‑back titles in Hungary and the Netherlands, aiming to defend his driver‑championship ambitions.
However, the British sensation expressed disappointment after McLaren struggled to match recent form on circuits that differ markedly from those in the preceding events on the calendar.
Norris commented: “These are difficult conditions. We’re struggling considerably more with pace.”
“We excelled in the areas we expected to dominate and performed poorly where we anticipated difficulty—in the corners we were weaker than hoped, yet we’ve made gains.”
“In corner work we found we weren’t as weak as feared. Nevertheless, we are slightly off, meaning we cannot claim a current lead among the top contenders. Surprises behind us are possible, especially as several drivers sit just outside the race front.”
“I firmly believe we are not in pole contention at this stage, yet we must concentrate on securing a respectable result.”
Sky Sports F1’s Italian GP live schedule
Saturday September 5
8.25am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Italian Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 11:30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Italian Grand Prix Qualifying build-up
3pm: ITALIAN GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday September 6
7.10am: F3 Feature Race
8.40am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP build-up
2pm: THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Italian GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is at Monza for Ferrari’s home race at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime