F1 2026 Italian Grand Prix FP2 Results: George Russell beats Charles Leclerc

George Russell claimed the fastest lap in a tightly contested second practice for the 2026 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, pipping Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just 0.120 seconds.

Russell bumped Leclerc off the top of the timesheets mid-session with a lap time of 1:22.559, while Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli completed an encouraging top three for the Silver Arrows just 0.141 seconds off the benchmark.

Several teams opted for mediums in the early stages of practice, with Max Verstappen among the first drivers to head out for some track time having given up his car for Ayumu Iwasa in FP1.

Mercedes and McLarens, meanwhile, started on hard tyres and home hero Antonelli went on to set an early benchmark of 1:23.417 before Russell bested him by two tenths.

Antonelli swapped to Pirelli softs halfway through the session and responded with 1:22.700s lap to go top, but Russell took control again with a 1:22.686s lap.

Leclerc briefly topped the times with a 1m22.679s effort after his first soft tyre run, but Russell was quick to reclaim the lead with a blistering 1m22.559s that remained unbeaten throughout the hour-long session.

Leclerc held onto second despite a spin in the closing stages with Antonelli finishing third. Meanwhile, Gabriel Bortoleto was forced to retire into the pits with a suspected engine issue in his Audi.

Lando Norris secured fourth place for McLaren, just 0.013 seconds ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri in sixth with Lewis Hamilton splitting the duo in fifth.

Arvid Lindblad impressed in seventh for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, followed by Ollie Bearman in eighth for Haas, while Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten.

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