Monza, Sep 5 (IANS) After experiencing a roller-coaster ride in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, it appears Ferrari will continue to have a torrid time in the Italian Grand Prix at their home circuit at Monza, as Kimi Antonelli ended with a spin into the gravel trap in Friday’s free practice.

Lewis Hamilton, who led a Ferrari 1-2 in first practice to the delight of the passionate Tifosi packing Monza’s grandstands and grass banks, returned along with other drivers and ended fifth in FP2.

Lando Norris was really quick as he topped the timesheets during the second free practice session for the Italian Grand Prix on Friday, leading the way from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Williams’ Carlos Sainz.

The happenings on Friday indicate that the team is struggling at home, but Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur asked people not to conclude on the basis of Friday’s performance.

“With the experience of the season and of the couple of seasons I’ve done, you don’t have to draw any conclusions after FP1 – hopefully, because last weekend, we were last. It means there’s still a long way to go until the end of quali and even more until the end of the race. We have to stay focused on ourselves, to try to continue to improve the car and the driving, and to try to get the best from what we have. But I will never draw any conclusions after FP1,” said Frédéric Vasseur, who attended the Team Representatives press conference with Laurent Merier of Red Bull and Ayao Komatsu of Haas.

The Ferrari boss said the mood was positive in the team.

“Well, the mood is positive, honestly. Even if we had a tough weekend last week in Zandvoort – at least a tough Friday – but the recovery was good. Even if the race was a double DNF at the end, we left with not a positive number of points, but at least a positive mood and positive approach, with the feeling that we recovered during the weekend.

“The other advantage is that you don’t have to wait too much for Monza. It meant that from Monday morning, we were already in Monza. The mood in general is very good, and we had a positive push from the Tifosi all week, from Monday morning in front of the factory. This is extra energy and a good one,” he said.

In a recent interview, Vasseur had said he would like the team to win races in the second half of the season. He was asked where his team stands in light of their performance in Monza so far.

“I think nobody expected that we could do the pole position – me, the first – in Budapest. We know that the fight is very tight, that we have four teams and perhaps sometimes more able to fight for pole position. For sure, McLaren is one step ahead, but it’s very difficult for everybody to be consistent. We can have days where they are a step back, and on those days, we have to be there. I don’t want to say this one or that one – we have to perform everywhere and get the best from what we have,” he said.

–IANS

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