F1 | Italian GP – FP3 results and summary: Ferrari tests tow strategy?. Get the full FP3 results and summary from the Italian GP.

All set for FP3 at the Italian GP

The final free practice session (FP3) for the Italian Grand Prix is ready to get underway, just before the drivers head out for qualifying. After FP1 and FP2, Ferrari showed it could put pressure on the two McLaren drivers. Let’s take a closer look at how the free practice sessions unfolded.

Green light

The first driver to hit the track was Nico Hülkenberg, who used the session to run in the hard tires. Many teams, however, waited a few minutes before starting their track action at Monza. The first timed lap was set by Alpine’s recently re-signed Pierre Gasly, who was immediately beaten by Yuki Tsunoda with a time of 1:21.876. Ten minutes into the session, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton entered the track, greeted by loud cheers from the crowd.

Ferrari adopted a different strategy, starting their first laps on the yellow tires instead of the white ones. Lewis Hamilton immediately faced difficulties and had to abort his first attempt. Meanwhile, Alpine focused on slipstream work with both their drivers in the early minutes, clearly preparing for qualifying.

Qualifying simulations

Kimi Antonelli started immediately on red tires to run a qualifying simulation in the first 20 minutes of FP3, as did Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver set a time of 1:20.040, just 14 thousandths faster than Charles Leclerc, who, however, was on yellow tires. Many drivers struggled, especially through the first chicane.

There was a scare for Charles Leclerc at the Parabolica, where he nearly lost control of the car.

Last 30 minutes of FP3 at Monza

Provisional results at the start of the final segment of the session showed Verstappen, Leclerc, and Hamilton at the top. McLaren remained off the pace, with Oscar Piastri in ninth and Lando Norris only sixteenth.

Ferrari chose to continue FP3 on the same set of yellow tires, but Lewis Hamilton still managed to improve his lap and move up to second place.

Williams confirmed their pace from yesterday’s sessions. McLaren came alive in the last 15 minutes, setting a strong rhythm. On his first attempt with red tires, Lando Norris posted the fastest provisional time of 1:19.331, ahead of Oscar Piastri and an outstanding Isack Hadjar.

In the final 10 minutes, Ferrari fitted a fresh set of red tires on both cars for a qualifying simulation. The results were not impressive for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who could only manage ninth and sixth positions respectively, partly due to some mistakes. Both drivers left the pits very close to each other – was Ferrari testing a tow strategy?

After returning to the pits, Charles Leclerc set the second-fastest time, just 21 thousandths behind Lando Norris, benefiting from a tow from the Haas.

#	Driver	Team	Time	Tyre
1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:19.331
2	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:19.352
3	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:19.496
4	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:19.498
5	George Russell	Mercedes	1:19.515
6	Gabriel Bortoleto	Stake	1:19.558
7	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:19.598
8	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	1:19.603
9	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:19.696
10	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:19.720
11	Nico Hulkenberg	Stake	1:19.737
12	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:19.861
13	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:19.907
14	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:20.034
15	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	1:20.059
16	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:20.132
17	Oliver Bearman	Haas	1:20.209
18	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:20.247
19	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:20.247
20	Esteban Ocon	Haas	1:20.304