Free Practice 3 in Monza was a perfect mix of tight times and bold strategies. Under the sun and the watchful eyes of the Tifosi, drivers hit the track one last time before the all-important qualifying session.
The first corner proved to be tricky for many drivers, with Carlos Sainz and others complaining about the tailwind disrupting braking zones.
McLaren Is Back on Track
After a quiet start, McLaren turned heads when Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris switched to soft tires. Piastri, whose near-penalty from yesterday’s red flag incident had been cleared, benefited from McLaren’s upgraded front wing, which offered extra grip.
Norris ultimately topped the session with a 1:19.331, pushing McLaren into contention for pole later today.
Ferrari’s Momentum
Charles Leclerc nearly lost the car twice in the session, raising the Tifosi’s heartbeat. However, that was soon forgotten as he finished his laps under the sea of red flags. The Monegasque even grabbed the 2nd fastest time of the session, right as the Tifosi’s banner deployed.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, appeared to be struggling more. Over the radio, with three minutes left, he summed up his situation: “Need some more juice.”
Red Bull Upgrades and Top Speeds
Red Bull arrived at Monza with a series of upgrades, including a new rear wing and modified floor designed for maximum straight-line speed. The team even used flow-vis paint to study airflow across the new components.
Early on, Yuki Tsunoda topped the timesheets with a 1:20.462 on hard tires, holding the lead for nearly 20 minutes. However, his teammate, Max Verstappen, soon joined the session on softs and wasted to time going quickest with a 1:19.688. The Dutch driver even hit 354 km/h (219 mph) down the main straight.
Hadjar Impresses Again
Isack Hadjar, following his breakout weekend previously, continued to impress. Despite the Racing Bulls team noting their car performs better on twistier circuits than Monza’s high-speed layout, Hadjar pushed hard (so much so that he cut a section of the track with 28 minutes remaining, now under FIA review).
His efforts briefly put him third behind McLaren before he ultimately ended the session in seventh.
Technical Insights
Teams used this final Free Practice session to tune setups and figure out tire compounds ahead of qualifying. Lap times between soft and medium tires were close, suggesting both could be interesting for qualifying.
Thus, although each team’s strategy began differently and utilized various tire compounds, all teams eventually switched to soft tires, resulting in a significant reduction in the time between cars.
Additionally, it is important to note the aerodynamic variety teams were experimenting with. Indeed, Red Bull’s newly modified rear wing and Racing Bulls’ distinctive curved front wing drew plenty of attention, while Sauber’s ultra-thin top flap showed yet another approach to maximizing efficiency on Monza’s long straights.
All Eyes on Qualifying
With times separated by fractions of a second, qualifying promises to be fiercely competitive. McLaren’s pace, Red Bull’s upgrades, and Ferrari’s home advantage set the stage for a thrilling battle for pole at Monza this afternoon.
The final classification is as follows: