Free 1: McLaren in evidence

The Monza circuit, the fastest track of the season with its rare turns, welcomes drivers from Formula 1 to gauge the fastest single-seaters and the most reliable engines. In this context, Sebastian Vettel is not a player and spends almost 80 minutes in his stand without running a time. Lacking engines (2) for the rest of the season, the pilot Red Bull cannot afford to line up as many rounds as its rivals.

These are, as usual, the drivers of the sister team, Toro Rosso, who achieved the first reference times. Sébastien Buemi ahead of Jaime Alguersuari and the general classification, before Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) enters the track. From there, the Briton will never let go of the first time. In 1:24:632, Hamilton beat Heikki Kovalainen, the McLaren drivers taking advantage of their SREC and the newfound velocity of the car of Woking.

Lewis Hamilton improves his time twice in quick succession at the end of the session (1:23:936), asserting his control over the field. Meanwhile, Giancarlo Fisichella approaches his F60 for his first weekend at Ferrari, tandis que son remplaçant chez Force India, Vintantonio Liuzzi, parvient à décoller de la fin du classement. Ce sont les pilotes Toyota qui, contrairement à Spa, ne se montrent pas aux avant-postes et occupent les deux dernières places du peloton. Quant à Sebastian Vettel, en sortant à dix minutes de la fin de séance, il peut faire quelques chronos significatifs, n?occupant toutefois le 18e rang à deux secondes de Lewis Hamilton.