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MONZA, Italy (AP) – Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in second practice at the Italian Grand Prix before the sprint return later on Saturday.
Hamilton was 0.222 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and 0.416 faster than championship leader Max Verstappen.
The session was marked with a red flag for just over 10 minutes after Carlos Sainz Jr. crashed into the wall in Ascari. The Ferrari driver was able to get out and was previously cleared by medical staff, but the team faces a race against time to get their car ready for the sprint later. Sainz is set to start seventh on the Italian team’s home circuit.
There were problems for his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who won at Monza in 2019. He entered the garage early with a problem he did not want to explain on the radio. The team later said he was feeling slightly unwell.
Hamilton will start the Temple of Speed 18 laps in second, just behind Bottas, but ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen after Friday’s qualifying session.
This is the second qualifying sprint after his debut at Silverstone.
Rather than the standard format of two practice on Friday and a third practice and qualifying on Saturday, there was a practice on Friday followed by a qualifying session which determined the grid for the sprint on Saturday.
The sprints will stretch over 100 kilometers and the top three will also receive points for the championship. First place will receive three points, second place two points and third place one point.
Hamilton was the fastest in qualifying at Silverstone but Verstappen passed him in the sprint to take pole.
Verstappen won the Dutch GP on Sunday to take a three-point lead over seven-time world champion Hamilton.
Hamilton is a five-time Temple of Speed winner and also has three more podiums on the track.
In contrast, Verstappen never set foot on the iconic Monza podium, with a better fifth place in 2018.
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