George Russell of Mercedes secured the fastest time ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton during the final free practice session for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
On a hot Monza track, Russell successfully kept the seven-time world champion at bay, while Max Verstappen and standings leader Kimi Antonelli secured the third and fourth positions respectively.
Following a quiet initial fifteen minutes, the Alpine cars running on medium tyres went fastest, with Franco Colapinto holding a one-tenth advantage over Pierre Gasly.
Local favorite Antonelli raised the stakes by clocking a 1m23.032s during his opening attempt on soft compounds. He appeared poised to improve on his next lap, but pushed past the limit at the Parabolica bend, forcing him to abandon the effort.
Lawson, stepping in for Red Bull, lost control of his car’s rear end and spun at the exit of the initial chicane. Meanwhile, his teammate Verstappen briefly went second fastest behind Antonelli, suggesting that Red Bull’s balance difficulties had been only half-resolved since Friday.
The action intensified past the mid-point of the hour, as Verstappen neared Antonelli’s benchmark while using medium tyres. Behind him were the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, whose cars feature a retro 1996 livery honoring Michael Schumacher’s inaugural season with the Italian team.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton
Image by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Verstappen’s lap prompted Mercedes to unleash faster runs, leading Russell to record a 1m22.687s followed by a quicker 1m22.463s.
Russell benefited from a strong slipstream provided by his teammate as the duo experimented with aerodynamic towing before qualifying. Since Antonelli faces a grid drop due to a fresh engine unit, the championship leader is anticipated to offer towing assistance to Russell in the final qualifying segment.
During his personal hot lap, Antonelli claimed the second spot with a time of 1m22.696s, maintaining Mercedes’ status as pre-race favorites to slice through the pack with their key title contender.
Russell secured the ultimate top position by posting a 1m22.219s with only five minutes remaining in the session. Hamilton utilized a tow from Lando Norris to snatch second place, trailing by 0.226 seconds, with Verstappen and Antonelli trailing closely in third and fourth.
Prospects looked less promising for McLaren, who struggled during Friday’s running and showed little signs of progress. Reigning champion Norris had to settle for fifth, just ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari after the Monaco native was hindered by traffic. A disappointed Oscar Piastri took eighth, suffering multiple front-lockups at the first corner and expressing his irritation over the team radio.
Equipped with a unique pivoting rear wing design, Racing Bulls showed strong performance thanks to 2026’s sole rookie driver, Arvid Lindblad. The young Brit claimed seventh position to lead the midfield, outpacing Piastri and finishing half a second adrift of Russell’s leading time.
The Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto completed the top ten positions as the squad strives to recover ground in the midfield standings. No major developments occurred at the tail end, where Aston Martin and Cadillac remained in a tight struggle to avoid the last row of the starting grid.
Italian Grand Prix – FP3 Standings
Your feedback matters to us!
Tell us what kind of content you would like to see in the future.
Participate in our survey
– The Autosport.com Crew
