Vettel sits out session topped by Force India
Vettel sits out session topped by Force India
Sebastian Vettel sat out the majority of a wet-dry first practice session topped by the resurgent Force India team as Ferrari encountered gearbox issues at the Italian Grand Prix. In essence, Vettel missed out on little meaningful running, although the missed session starts the Scuderia's home weekend on the back foot.
Vettel is the big favourite for victory come Sunday with Ferrari having developed a pace advantage over Mercedes as the red cars chase a first win at Monza since 2010.
Kimi Raikkonen was second-fastest as lap times tumbled at the end of the session, which began in torrential conditions, but Sergio Perez ended the session in P1, by dint of setting the final flying lap of the entire session.
It marks another fillip for Force India, however, following on from last weekend's strategy win in a wet Spa qualifying that enabled them to start third and fourth on the grid before securing fifth and sixth in the race.
Once dry conditions return - as they are expected to for Friday's second session - Force India may not be quite as lofty, but they retain high ambitions for the race weekend.
As the session started with a downpour, it looked glum for Daniel Ricciardo as he nearly ground to a halt on his installation lap.
Fears will have been raised at Red Bull, with Ricciardo fitted with Renault's latest-spec engine, however the Australian was soon back up an running, as the team diagnosed a software issue as the root cause.
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- 2 hours ago
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull star set to QUIT team as F1 driver role CONFIRMED for 2025
- Today 12:38
F1 team set to axe BOTH star drivers
- Today 12:05
Red Bull to lose F1 MVP as true cost of Horner saga hits
- Today 09:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860