It was no surprise to see Mercedes back on top for the first practice session in Italy, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way around the Monza track. Jenson Button managed to squeeze in between the warring teammates, sending his McLaren into second place. Monza's high-speed status gives any team with the Mercedes engine something of an advantage, so look for McLaren and Williams to do well.

Meanwhile, there were Friday drivers aplenty, with Force India running three drivers during the session, Lotus bringing Charles Pic in for Romain Grosjean, and Caterham making Kamui Kobayashi sit yet another session out.