Who has the edge at Monza? Russell delivers the answer in FP2

Ferrari finds speed, but not enough.

Can a stronger engine make the difference when Mercedes is still pulling away on the straights?

Lewis Hamilton arrived at Ferrari’s home race with encouraging signs from the team’s latest power-unit development, describing the new engine as an improvement. Yet Friday practice at Monza quickly highlighted another challenge: Ferrari may have gained performance, but Mercedes remains significantly stronger when the cars are travelling at maximum velocity.

George Russell set the fastest time in the opening day’s running, finishing just 0.120 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Hamilton ended the session fifth, 0.457 seconds away from the benchmark, with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and McLaren’s Lando Norris also ahead.

The most revealing figure, however, came from Hamilton’s analysis of the speed traces. He estimated that Ferrari was surrendering around six-tenths of a second to Russell along the straights a sizeable disadvantage at a circuit built around long, high-speed sections.

At Monza, where drivers spend a substantial amount of the lap at full throttle, even a small deficit can quickly become expensive.

Hamilton’s comments therefore point to a broader engineering question for Ferrari. An improved power unit is encouraging, but extracting competitive lap time requires the entire package to work together. More horsepower alone cannot guarantee victory if aerodynamic efficiency or energy management is costing time elsewhere.

With qualifying and the race still ahead, Ferrari has an opportunity to understand where those missing tenths are disappearing.

So, can Hamilton and Ferrari turn this promising step forward into genuine race-winning performance at Monza?

By Barbara Cardilli – Motorsport & Lifestyle Expert

Image credit to:@CBAimages                
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