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HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the FP1 action from Monza as Verstappen leads Sainz
Max Verstappen’s quest for 10 consecutive Grand Prix victories got off to the best possible start as he topped the timesheets in FP1 at Monza.
The Red Bull driver left no stone unturned in the first practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, clocking more laps than anyone else as he led second-placed Carlos Sainz by 0.046 seconds. Sergio Perez was third and Charles Leclerc was fourth as the session came to a close.
It was a relatively incident-free FP1 for the championship leader, with his only complaint a helmet issue towards the start, with Red Bull enjoying a productive opening practice. However, the same couldn’t be said for every team.
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It was a challenging practice session for both Alfa Romeo cars – who seemed to suffer with a software problem triggering anti-stall at the start before Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu complained of ‘undriveable’ vehicles later on. Thankfully, for the team, adjustments through the session seemed to give the drivers the desired improvements.
Williams’ Alex Albon – who is on a fine run of form – also had a nervy moment after skating wide at Turn 10 and going straight through the gravel, before returning to the track unscathed.
Click on the video player above to watch the highlights from the first practice session in Monza.