2019 Italian Grand Prix - Free practice

Monza, September 6, 2019

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM FP1 AND FP2

• Not a huge amount was learned about the P Zero slick tyres, as four red flags and rain featured throughout both sessions. Conditions are set to remain variable for the rest of the weekend, so today could end up being quite representative.
• The rain ensured representative running on the Cinturato Green intermediate tyres, as well as the slick tyres. This gave teams a valuable initial insight into the likely crossover points, which could be extremely useful information this weekend. Despite the rain, today’s best FP2 time was already faster than its equivalent one year ago.
• So far, the time difference between the medium and the soft is just under a second per lap but track evolution in dry conditions means that this will come down. In the cool conditions seen today, with track temperatures peaking at only 28 degrees centigrade, the softer compounds generally worked better.
• There’s a patch of new asphalt at the second chicane: this is smoother and more slippery than the other parts of the track, especially when the surface is damp.
• The uncertain weather expected for the rest of the weekend means that there could be different approaches to qualifying, with different teams opting for either a wet or a dry set-up.
• Charles Leclerc was fastest with his Ferrari in FP1 (on the medium tyre) as well as in FP2 (on the soft tyre). But the true picture of relative performance between the top teams is yet to fully emerge.