F1 returns to Monza, the home of Ferrari, this weekend as the Italian Grand Prix takes centre stage with plenty of intrigue left in the 2024 season.
Lando Norris cruised to his second ever win in Formula 1 with victory at the Dutch Grand Prix last time out and, in doing so, narrowed the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen to 70 points.
Verstappen had to settle for second at his home race while Charles Leclerc did well to fend off McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to seal the third spot on the podium. Leclerc will be eyeing a strong showing at the Scuderia’s home race, in what will be Carlos Sainz’s last Ferrari appearance in Italy.
Lewis Hamilton can also expect a strong reception ahead of his move next year, while Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli will appear in first practice on Friday for Mercedes ahead of his likely promotion in 2025. Franco Colapinto will also make his debut for Williams after Logan Sargeant’s axing.
Follow live updates from the Italian Grand Prix with The Independent
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Lewis Hamilton quickest in FP3!


Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 12:45
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Lewis Hamilton quickest in FP3!
Lewis Hamilton quickest then after a late flurry of quick laps – but his time of 1:20:117 is the one to beat!
George Russell is in second, 0.093 secs behind, with Charles Leclerc in third and Oscar Piastri in fourth.
Lando Norris is only P5 – 0.145 secs behind Hamilton – and Max Verstappen down in sixth!
7-10: Sainz, Albon, Colapinto, Hulkenberg
Meanwhile, Kevin Magnussen has been told to stop on the track in sector two right at the end of the session – maybe an engine issue?!
Fascinating session though!
Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 12:36
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Max Verstappen only sixth-fastest
Verstappen’s quickest lap yet but he’s two-tenths down and is only sixth on the timesheet!
Verstappen: “The car doesn’t seem to turn in low speed or medium speed.”
It’s now a Mercedes one-two with Lewis Hamilton in first and George Russell 0.093 secs behind!
1-10: Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Sianz, Albon, Colapinto, Alonso
Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 12:24
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Lando Norris up to second!
Quick… but not quick enough for top spot in FP3!
Lando Norris is 0.026 secs short of Charles Leclerc’s new leading time of 1:20:2
Oscar Piastri is a tad behind in third, with Carlos Sainz in fourth.
Max Verstappen? Down in P9!
Final soft tyre runs coming up though in the last 15 minutes!
Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 12:20
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Charles Leclerc shoots up to P1!
The prospects look good for Ferrari at their home track as Charles Leclerc goes top of the timesheet with a 1:20:614, 0.092 secs quicker than George Russell behind him on mediums.
Carlos Sainz is third in the other Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton fourth and Lando Norris fifth – there doesn’t seem to be too much difference between the soft and the medium in terms of lap time.
6-10: Piastri, Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Perez, Alonso
30 mins gone, 30 mins to go!

Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 12:03
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Oscar Piastri quickest early on
The only frontrunner on softs early on, Piastri sets a 1:20:887 up top, 0.063 secs quicker than Max Verstappen on mediums.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are third and fourth respectively, with Sergio Perez fifth.
Plenty of time for that to change though…
Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 11:47
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: FP3 underway!
Third practice then! And the Sauber of Valtteri Bottas is the first car out on track at Monza…
Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 11:31
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: FP3 at Monza!
We’re about to get underway with the third and final hour of practice in Monza!
The final chance for the drivers and teams to get up to speed with their cars and the track before qualifying this afternoon!
And it’s another belting sunny day just outside Milan!
Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 11:27
F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE: Lewis Hamilton hopes Lando Norris can take F1 title race against Max Verstappen ‘down to the wire’
McLaren’s Norris trails Verstappen by 70 points with nine races left but will be buoyed by his superior speed during his win last Sunday at the Dutch Grand Prix, where the Brit beat the Dutchman by 22.8 seconds.
And seven-time F1 champion Hamilton, who won his first world championship with McLaren in 2008 and was involved in a famous title race with Verstappen in 2021, hopes his compatriot can take it down to the final race in Abu Dhabi on December 8.
“There are a lot of points on the table so it is not impossible,” Hamilton said ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
Kieran Jackson31 August 2024 11:22