Sain🐼z set the pace at the Monza circuit, just 0.019 seconds clear of his former McLaren teammate Norris, on his second low-fuel run on the soft tyre.

• F1 Italian Grand Prix 2023 - Friday Practice Results 

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was 0.185s down in third but ﷽suffered a high-speed spin through the gravel before hitting the barriers at the exit of the final corner. 

Oscar Piastri put his McLaren fourth ahead of Max Verstappen, who was left frustrate⛄d not to get a proper qualifying simulation in after seeing his 💜one and only soft tyre run ruined by traffic. 

That left the two-time world champion nearly three-tenths adrift in fifth as he bids 𓂃ℱfor a record-breaking 10th consecutive victory this weekend. 

Charles Leclerc was sixt🌜h-fastest and 0.361s slower than teammate Sainz, who has held the upper hand at Ferrari so far at their home race. 

Alex Albon was an impressive seventh for Williams o⛄n the medi🐭um tyre, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and George Russell, who was the quickest Mercedes driver in ninth. 

The top-10 order was completed b♏y Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas. 

Lewis Hamilton was only 17th after carrying a 5mph straight-line speed deficit to teammate Russell following a s𓆉et-up change ahead of FP2. 

The seven-time world champion, who along with Russell signed a fresh deal to stay with Mercedes until the end of 2025 going into the weekend, did not complete a soft tyre ꩵrun. 

Lance Stroll will go into qualifying massively on the ba💫ck foot after his Aston Martin ground to a halt with a sudden loss of power on just his third lap of the day. 

The issue kept Stroll, who sat out of first p💛ractice while Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich deputised, in the garage for the rema🐲inder of the session. 

Stroll’s stoppage caused the first of two red flags, the s𓆏ec▨ond of which was triggered by Perez’s late spin.