Italian GP FP3: Russell Leads Hamilton and Verstappen at Monza
Russell Is the Man to Beat
George Russell finished FP3 at the top of the timesheets with a 1:22.219. It continues an excellent weekend for Russell and Mercedes after he also went fastest during Friday's second practice session. Russell finished 0.226 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton, and at this stage it is becoming increasingly difficult to look past the Mercedes driver as one of the favourites for pole. Mercedes appear to have found a strong setup for Monza's unique combination of long straights, heavy braking zones and low-downforce corners. Practice doesn't guarantee anything, of course but topping both FP2 and FP3 is a pretty convincing statement.
Hamilton Gives the Tifosi Hope
Lewis Hamilton delivered an encouraging final practice for Ferrari by taking second place. Hamilton ended the session 0.226 seconds behind Russell, putting himself firmly into the conversation ahead of qualifying and where better to produce a big result than Monza? Ferrari's home crowd will desperately want to see one of the red cars fighting for pole position. Hamilton showed strong pace during FP1 before slipping back to fifth in FP2. His return to the sharp end in FP3 suggests Ferrari could still have something to say when qualifying begins. Charles Leclerc finished sixth, so there is clearly still work to do on that side of the Ferrari garage but Hamilton has given the Tifosi something to believe in.
Verstappen Fights Back
Max Verstappen had a much better session after a difficult Friday. The Red Bull driver was only ninth in FP2, but he jumped to third place in FP3, finishing 0.350 seconds behind Russell. That's a significant improvement. It remains to be seen whether Verstappen has enough outright pace to challenge Russell over a qualifying lap, but having Max sitting near the front is always dangerous. Red Bull clearly found something overnight and if Verstappen can find another couple of tenths when it matters, the fight for pole could become very interesting. There was also a tense moment between Verstappen and Hamilton late in the session when the pair nearly came together around Parabolica. Both drivers blamed the other over team radio. Not exactly what either of them needed just hours before qualifying!
Antonelli Takes Fourth
Kimi Antonelli finished fourth for Mercedes, just 0.361 seconds away from his teammate's benchmark. Under normal circumstances, that would put the championship leader right in the qualifying conversation but Antonelli's weekend is very different. He is set to start Sunday's Italian Grand Prix from the back of the grid because of power-unit penalties. That means Mercedes have been able to approach his weekend differently, with Antonelli focusing more heavily on race preparation. It could also make him useful strategically during qualifying, particularly when it comes to giving Russell a tow around Monza's enormous straights.
McLaren Still Searching
Lando Norris finished fifth, 0.406 seconds behind Russell. Oscar Piastri was eighth. It's not disastrous for McLaren, but it isn't the sort of dominance we've become accustomed to seeing from the team. Norris has won the previous two Grands Prix, but McLaren appear to have a genuine fight on their hands at Monza. Can they suddenly unlock more performance in qualifying? They may need to. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull all have cars sitting ahead of them after FP3.
Alpine Surprise
One of the more interesting results came from Alpine. Pierre Gasly finished ninth, while Franco Colapinto completed the top 10. That's a positive result for a team that hasn't always been fighting around the top 10 this season. With the field incredibly close behind the leading cars, qualifying could provide opportunities for some surprise Q3 appearances.
FP3 TOP 10
The top 10 from final practice:
1. George Russell — Mercedes — 1:22.219
2. Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari — +0.226
3. Max Verstappen — Red Bull — +0.350
4. Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes — +0.361
5. Lando Norris — McLaren — +0.406
6. Charles Leclerc — Ferrari — +0.489
7. Arvid Lindblad — Racing Bulls — +0.505
8. Oscar Piastri — McLaren — +0.554
9. Pierre Gasly — Alpine — +0.679
10. Franco Colapinto — Alpine — +0.882
Qualifying Is Looking Close
One of the biggest takeaways from FP3 is just how competitive the field remains. The top 12 drivers finished within a second of Russell. At Monza, that could make qualifying extremely unpredictable.There's also the question of the tow. Slipstreaming is particularly powerful around Monza, meaning drivers will be trying to position themselves behind another car before beginning their flying laps. Get it right and you could gain valuable time. Get it wrong and you could find yourself stuck in traffic without enough time to start another lap. We've seen qualifying chaos at Monza before. Don't be surprised if we see it again.
Who Takes Pole?
Right now, George Russell has to be the favourite. He was fastest in FP2. He's now fastest in FP3. Mercedes have consistently shown strong pace but Hamilton isn't far away. Verstappen has suddenly put Red Bull back into contention. Leclerc has already shown Ferrari's potential this weekend. And McLaren surely can't be completely ruled out. My prediction? George Russell takes pole — but it's going to be close. Hamilton could be the biggest threat, particularly if Ferrari can find a little more performance before qualifying. Whatever happens, we've got a fascinating qualifying session ahead of us.
Final Thoughts
FP3 has given us a much clearer picture heading into qualifying. Mercedes look strong. Ferrari are fighting. Verstappen is back. McLaren have work to do and with Antonelli starting from the back on Sunday regardless of where he qualifies, the championship picture adds another fascinating layer to the weekend. Russell has done everything he can so far. Now comes the session that really matters. Can he turn his practice pace into pole position? Or will Ferrari deliver something special in front of the Tifosi?We'll find out very soon.
Stay tuned to On the Pit Wall for more coverage of the 2026 Italian Grand Prix.
Lights out, and let's get into it.
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