FP3 offered the last critical opportunities before qualifying, with the entire field separated by less than a second.
[adrotate banner=”8″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
In a fiercely contested final practice session at Monza, Lando Norris edged out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just 0.021 seconds, asserting McLaren’s healthy pace.
Ground-level visibility was shaky for the first ten minutes as most drivers used initial laps for tyre scrubbing and setup checks, delaying their actual hot attempts.
Top Runs and Fine Margins
Lando Norris set a blistering 1:19.331, putting McLaren in prime position heading into qualifying.
Charles Leclerc quickly matched pace, slipping just 0.021s behind, giving Ferrari fans hope that their team might finally strike at their home race at Monza.
McLaren secured a strong presence with Oscar Piastri sitting P3, 0.165 seconds off his teammate.
Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Gabriel Bortoleto followed closely in fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively, each separated from the leader by under a quarter of a second.
Rest of the Tunnel
A tight midfield saw Lewis Hamilton, Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, and Alex Albon rounding out the top 10, all within 0.4 seconds of Norris’s time.
Hamilton, carrying a five-place grid penalty from the previous weekend, was among several drivers to run wide at the first chicane. He was joined by Norris, Ollie Bearman, Bortoleto, and Carlos Sainz in taking to the run-off, with Sainz noting a troublesome tailwind as the cause.
Hadjar was the first to use a set of soft tyres approaching the 15-minute mark. However, he was about three-tenths slower than Yuki Tsunoda, who had posted a time of 1:20.775 on hard tyres.
Beyond them, the full 20 drivers were within a second of the pace-setting lap.
Takeaways
McLaren will be entering qualifying with momentum, confirmed by Norris’s pace and Piastri’s proximity. Ferrari’s close second through Leclerc has also boosted hopes for a strong home result.
The ultra-tight field indicated Monza’s high-speed template that equalizes performance across the grid, so qualifying would be critical.
Qualifying at Monza kicks off at 16:00 local time. Expect fierce laps as track position becomes the premium amid Monza’s slipstream circuits.
Featured Image Credit: EverythingF1
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.