Italian Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Verstappen shows his teeth before qualifying
This extremely calm session was dominated by Max Verstappen. He gained a psychological advantage over the Ferraris just before the qualifications. Fernando Alonso placed his Alpine in fifth position and led the chasing pack.
Mick Schumacher only participated in this session for the last ten minutes. His car was immobilized in the pits, with the mechanics working on the rear part, particularly on the gearbox.
After conducting tests on Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin yesterday, Nyck de Vries replaced Alex Albon (hospitalized) at the wheel of the Williams for this third session.
A first big half hour to validate the settings
Two hours before the start of the qualifications, the drivers had to be relatively cautious. Max Verstappen placed himself at the top of the ranking, ahead of the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. His teammate Sergio Perez, on the other hand, positioned himself in 4th place. However, the Italian team only completed a few laps. Are they saving engine components? Or are they satisfied with the settings? In any case, the battle for victory will take place between these two teams.
Mercedes has confirmed that they are struggling with top speed. This handicap, due to excessive drag, has relegated the English drivers to the level of Alpine and McLaren. At the back of the pack, the Haas team has resumed their habits from previous years, finishing at the bottom of the standings, and they have been joined by Aston Martin. Their race pace is likely to be lacking. AlphaTauri and Alpha Romeo were navigating between these two groups.
End of session dedicated to qualifying pace
For the last fifteen minutes, all the drivers drove with soft tires and little fuel in order to perfect the final adjustments for the qualifying session. It was at this moment that Mick Schumacher was finally able to complete a few laps and confirm that his Haas had been properly repaired for the upcoming session.
The use of the red tire allowed all drivers to improve their lap times. However, the hierarchy did not change and Max Verstappen remained in the lead. The surprise then came from Fernando Alonso, who finished 5th ahead of Lando Norris.
The two battles between Ferrari and Red Bull, as well as between Alpine and McLaren, will continue at Monza despite all the penalties on both sides. On the French side, there is disappointment: Ocon and Gasly were far behind their respective teammates.
The ranking of the third free practice session.
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:21.252 | 19 | |
| 2 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:21.599 | +0.347 | 15 |
| 3 | Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:21.848 | +0.596 | 25 |
| 4 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:21.897 | +0.645 | 17 |
| 5 | Alonso | Alpine F1 Team | 1:22.306 | +1.054 | 17 |
| 6 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:22.319 | +1.067 | 19 |
| 7 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:22.357 | +1.105 | 24 |
| 8 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:22.430 | +1.178 | 27 |
| 9 | Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | 1:22.506 | +1.254 | 17 |
| 10 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:22.567 | +1.315 | 22 |
| 11 | Zhou | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:22.657 | +1.405 | 14 |
| 12 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:22.755 | +1.503 | 21 |
| 13 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:22.776 | +1.524 | 19 |
| 14 | De Vries | Williams Racing | 1:22.869 | +1.617 | 21 |
| 15 | Ricciardo | McLaren F1 Team | 1:22.871 | +1.619 | 19 |
| 16 | Bottas | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:22.950 | +1.698 | 26 |
| 17 | Vettel | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:23.104 | +1.852 | 20 |
| 18 | Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 1:23.203 | +1.951 | 17 |
| 19 | Schumacher | Haas F1 Team | 1:23.392 | +2.140 | 8 |
| 20 | Stroll | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:23.739 | +2.487 | 16 |
