The last free practice session for the Emilia Romaga Grand Prix weekend at the Italian circuit has just concluded. Let’s find out, in summary, everything that happened in the FP3 for the Imola GP, the final session to prepare for qualifying and the race.
After Friday’s sessions, all eyes are on Ferrari, which has shown the effectiveness of the updates introduced on the SF-24. single-seater. However, Ferrari’s life won’t be easy this weekend, with McLaren right on their heels, both ahead of a lackluster Red Bull. The reigning world champion team is particularly called upon to respond and will do everything to reclaim the lead in the final free practice session. Let’s discover together everything that happened in the Imola FP3 through our summary.
The action on track begins immediately with teams tackling the initial moments of these FP3 sessions with different programs. Ferrari starts their work with the red tires for a qualifying simulation, with Leclerc being the first to go for a fast lap. On his second attempt with the same tire compound, the Monegasque driver gained a significant advantage over his competitors, clocking a time of 1:16.281. Verstappen follows with his first attempt, coming within just 190 milliseconds of Charles Leclerc’s SF-24 on yellow tires. Only a few cars are on track in the first 10 minutes, with just 6 cars setting a lap time.
With 45 minutes remaining, Leclerc sets the pace again, increasing his lead. Before his second push, Leclerc returns to the pits for adjustments to the front wing, a modification that improves his time despite using worn tires. Shortly after, Carlos Sainz surpasses Charles Leclerc, lowering the benchmark by a further 20 milliseconds. Ferrari adopts a unique strategy, alternating between their drivers for flying laps and “rest” laps to be fully prepared for qualifying.
Behind the two Ferraris, rivals start to close in, with Norris immediately showing strong pace, trailing by just over three-tenths on his first attempt. With just under half an hour of activity in FP3, the first red flag of the day is waved, caused by Alonso’s crash at Rivazza 2. At that moment, the Oviedo driver was pushing with hard tires, which didn’t support the AMR24 effectively through the corner.
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After about 10 minutes of suspension to inspect the barriers at Rivazza 2, the green light returns, and drivers quickly resume their runs. The first complete lap after the red flag is set by Piastri, who with red tires comes within two-tenths of the reference time. After a quick stop in the pits, Oscar Piastri returns for a qualifying simulation, posting strong sector times, but an error at Rivazza 2 nullifies his advantage. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen engage in a mini race-pace simulation, each on a different strategy.
With 15 minutes remaining, Alex Albon shines briefly, putting his Williams in sixth position on soft tires. However, his performance is quickly downplayed as drivers just behind him achieved their times on yellow tires.
In the final 10 minutes, FP3 heats up, with almost all drivers engaged in time attacks. Stroll is the first to complete it, getting close to the top of the timesheet on red tires. Oscar Piastri follows, setting an impressive time that puts him over half a second ahead of his pursuers. Moments later, the second red flag of the session is waved, as Sergio Perez hits the wall at Variante Gresini. Thanks to the work of the marshals, other drivers manage one last attempt in the remaining 2 minutes. However, traffic at Rivazza 2 makes it impossible for the two Ferrari cars to set a clean lap to challenge the McLarens. Nevertheless, there are promising signs for this afternoon, with Ferrari and McLaren seriously contending for pole position in Imola later today.
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