FP3: Hamilton dominates at Monza, Mercedes locks top spots

Lewis Hamilton Leads Mercedes One-Two in Final Practice Session at Italian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton showcased his prowess in the third and final practice session ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two with teammate George Russell. The successful run comes on the same day the team made headlines by announcing Franco Colapinto as Russell's partner for the 2025 season.

Eventful Friday Practice Sessions

The chaos marked Friday’s practice sessions, with red flags disrupting proceedings after incidents involving Kimi Antonelli and Kevin Magnussen. Teams and drivers returned with renewed focus for FP3 at 12:30 local time to fine-tune setups ahead of the crucial qualifying session.

Varied Tire Strategies

Teams began the session with various tire strategies. Many opted for hard tires to gather data, a compound previously used only by Yuki Tsunoda. Magnussen, on the other hand, went straight to soft tires to compensate for his limited FP2 laps. It was Max Verstappen, however, who eventually set the early pace on medium tires.

Swapping Fastest Laps

As the session progressed, George Russell, recovering lost time from Antonelli’s FP1 crash, quickly topped the timesheets on mediums, though his reign was short. Charles Leclerc thrilled the Tifosi by briefly leading with a lap of 1m 20.614s. The competition was tight, with the top five separated by just over a tenth and a half. Alex Albon underscored the fine margins, briefly seizing P1 from Leclerc.

Session Conclusion and Standings

Lewis Hamilton reclaimed P1 with a blistering lap of 1m 20.117s, narrowly beating Russell by 0.093s. Leclerc ended third, followed by McLaren’s dynamic duo – Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Verstappen, plagued by handling issues, finished sixth.

FP3 Top 10:

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 1m 20.117s

George Russell (Mercedes) +0.093s

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.100s

Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

Lando Norris (McLaren)

Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

Alex Albon (Williams)

Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

Further Standings and Incidents

Haas’s Kevin Magnussen, along with Red Bull juniors Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, secured 11th, 12th, and 13th respectively. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Zhou Guanyu’s Kick Sauber took 14th and 15th.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll clocked the 16th quickest time, while Colapinto, despite a late incident, managed 17th. Esteban Ocon spun at the session’s end, finishing 18th for Alpine, with Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg in 19th, and Antonelli in 20th after his early crash.

Looking Ahead to Qualifying

With FP1 completed, teams and drivers will be focusing on debriefing and strategizing before hitting the track for the highly anticipated second practice session.

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