Ferrari engine upgrade leads practice, Mercedes and Haas also show strong form at Monza

Ferrari's upgraded ADUO power unit showed early promise at the Italian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc posting the second-fastest time in Friday's second practice, 0.12 seconds behind Mercedes driver George Russell. The performance was achieved on soft tyres, while Russell and his teammate used harder compounds.

Mercedes driver George Russell led the session, improving on his Friday-first-practice position and posting the fastest lap. He said, "> I don't know if we can say we're favourites this weekend, but we probably have a greater opportunity than we've had in the last two races where it's been less about the power unit and more about the chassis."

Haas driver Ollie Bearman benefited from the team's most extensive upgrade of the season, reaching eighth place in the same session. He noted, "> It's definitely been our best Friday since probably March or that time of year. We're in need of a bit of a boost and today has been a big boost for the entire team."

In contrast, Honda-powered entries performed poorly. Fernando Alonso and team officials acknowledged the difficulty of the power-unit at Monza, with trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara describing the situation as "challenging for the power unit side." Their drivers finished 19th and 22nd.

Red Bull struggled to find pace, with Max Verstappen's car finishing ninth and twelfth in the two practice sessions. Team comments highlighted ongoing issues with downforce and grip.

Haas teammate Esteban Ocon, who runs the new chassis but not the Ferrari engine, recorded an 18th-place time, more than a second slower than Bearman, citing traffic and the engine difference as factors.