George Russell set the pace in final practice at Monza, posting a 1:22.219 to lead Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen ahead of qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
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Hot and sunny conditions greeted the Formula 1 grid at Monza on Saturday afternoon as the drivers took to the track for the third and final practice session ahead of qualifying.
With only one session remaining before qualifying, teams focused on fine-tuning their setups and preparing for the crucial qualifying runs. The soft tyres appeared early in the session as drivers looked to extract maximum performance from their cars.
Kimi Antonelli was among the first to set a competitive benchmark, posting a 1:23.032 on the soft tyres. Charles Leclerc followed approximately two-tenths of a second behind, also running the soft compound.
As the session progressed, George Russell moved to the top of the timing sheets with a 1:22.687. Antonelli responded with an improvement of his own, while Max Verstappen remained competitive on the medium tyres. The two Ferraris completed the top five at this stage.
With around 20 minutes remaining, Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc increased their pace as teams began focusing more heavily on qualifying simulations. Verstappen also continued to show strong pace despite running the medium compound.
Russell subsequently lowered the benchmark to 1:22.463, establishing an advantage of around two-tenths over Antonelli and approximately three-tenths over Verstappen. The Ferraris remained within the leading group, occupying fourth and fifth positions.
The pace increased significantly during the final 10 minutes as almost every driver attempted a faster lap. Despite the late improvements, nobody could challenge Russell’s final benchmark of 1:22.219, which secured the Mercedes driver top spot in FP3.
There was also a brief moment of concern late in the session when Verstappen and Hamilton encountered a strange situation at Turn 1. However, the incident did not result in contact or an accident, allowing both drivers to continue.
Russell therefore finished FP3 as the driver to beat heading into qualifying, with Mercedes showing strong one-lap pace around the high-speed Monza circuit.
The full results of the FP3 according to FIA.com:
