Monza opens wet, then Ferrari finds its feet
Monza’s FIA WEC season finale began in familiar Italian autumn fashion: rain on the racing line, cold tyres, and a field trying to find grip around the Temple of Speed. Alpine made the early statement in the wet, but once the circuit began to dry, Ferrari answered emphatically.
Alpine leads the washout
Charles Milesi put the #35 Alpine A424 on top of Free Practice 1 with a 1:45.862, 0.401 seconds clear of Yifei Ye’s #83 Ferrari. The session was disrupted by three red flags, with spins and contact at Parabolica, Ascari and Lesmo 2 underlining how treacherous the conditions were.
Jules Gounon and Victor Martins’ second Alpine matched Harry Tincknell’s Aston Martin Valkyrie on a 1:46.453, though the Alpine’s earlier lap gave it third place. In LMGT3, Tom Fleming’s late 1:57.575 put the #10 Garage 59 McLaren ahead of the Proton Ford and Corvette, while the title-contending #92 Porsche was restricted to a late run and finished 18th in class.
Ferrari strikes back
As the track dried in Free Practice 2, the times tumbled and Ferrari found its rhythm. Robert Kubica’s late 1:38.143 in the #83 499P was the fastest lap of the day, giving the home marque a clear advantage as most cars switched to slicks.
Harry Tincknell’s #007 Valkyrie was second, 0.796 seconds behind, with Raffaele Marciello’s #15 BMW third. The top five represented five different manufacturers — Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW, Alpine and Genesis — an early reminder that the Hypercar fight remains wide open.
LMGT3 changes shape
The GT class order shifted dramatically as Monza transitioned from wet to dry. Sebastian Priaulx led a Ford Proton one-two in the #77 Mustang, ahead of Logan Sargeant in the #88, while Maxime Martin’s Mercedes-AMG took third.
McLaren’s FP1 advantage disappeared with the conditions, but the session still offered a useful indication of who can adapt quickly when the track evolves. With FP3, qualifying and Hyperpole still to come, Saturday should provide a far clearer picture of the pecking order.
