George Russell was the fastest driver on Friday at Monza, setting a time of 1:22.559.

The Mercedes driver finished ahead of Charles Leclerc and team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Leclerc stopped the clocks at 1:22.679, while Antonelli recorded a 1:22.700. All three drivers set their best lap on the Soft (C5). During the second free practice session, the two Mercedes drivers also ran the Hard (C3). Leclerc, meanwhile, used both the Medium (C4) and the Soft compound during the second hour of running.

This afternoon, ambient temperatures reached 35°C, while track temperatures peaked at 47.5°C. In FP2, all three compounds were used, although the Medium and Soft were the most popular choices. Antonelli completed the highest number of laps on the Hard (23), Verstappen completed the most on the Medium (22), while Carlos Sainz covered the greatest distance on the Soft, with 18 laps.

Charles Leclerc was the fastest driver in the opening free practice session. The Monegasque posted a lap of 1:23.008, finishing more than a tenth of a second clear of Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton in second place. George Russell was third with a time of 1:23.312.

The Ferrari drivers each used one set of Hards and one set of Mediums during FP1. Russell opted instead for a Medium and a Soft. The Mercedes driver set his best time on the Soft, while both Ferrari drivers recorded their quickest laps on the Medium.

Overall, 14 drivers used the Hard compound during the first free practice session. The Medium and Soft were also widely used, confirming extensive running across all three compounds available this weekend.

Simone Berra: "The first two free practice sessions showed a balanced performance profile across the compounds. Despite particularly high track temperatures, degradation remained limited and manageable on all three tyres in the range, which appear well suited to the characteristics of this circuit.

The most demanding traction zones are effectively confined to the exits of the first and second chicanes, while the long straights help cool the rear axle efficiently. We observed a small amount of graining, particularly on the front-left tyre, but only to a limited extent and without any significant impact on performance.

One particularly interesting point to emerge today concerns the Soft compound, which demonstrated good consistency during the long runs and appears to be a viable option for the race as well. Tomorrow, however, it may be difficult to complete more than one flying lap on the C5, due to the performance loss associated with thermal degradation.

The performance gaps were in line with our simulations: around half a second between the C4 and C5 and approximately two tenths between the C3 and C4. The differences between the various options are relatively small because of the limited longitudinal and lateral energy generated by the circuit.

Several strategic scenarios therefore remain open for Sunday's race, particularly as any neutralisations could create interesting opportunities when selecting the compound for the final stint."

Check out our Friday gallery from Monza here.