Alessandro Giusti believes completing a clean Qualifying lap will matter more than chasing the perfect slipstream at Monza after leading an MP Motorsport 1-2-3 in Friday morning’s 2026 F3 Free Practice. The Williams Driver Academy member set a 1:37.445 on the Soft tyre to lead teammate Tuukka Taponen by 0.232s, while Mattia Colnaghi completed an impressive sweep of the leading three positions for the Dutch team.
Giusti expects conditions to become more complicated during the afternoon’s split Qualifying session, where drivers will have only 10 minutes to produce their times. Although the Frenchman recognises how important the tow remains around Monza, he believes guaranteeing a representative lap must take priority over risking everything in pursuit of the ideal track position.
Giusti pleased with MP Motorsport’s strong Practice execution
MP Motorsport immediately established itself as the team to beat in Free Practice, with Giusti, Taponen and Colnaghi occupying the top three positions when the chequered flag fell. Giusti’s fastest lap came during the final Soft-tyre runs, when the field switched towards Qualifying simulations and lap times dropped significantly across the order.
The Frenchman also benefited from a well-positioned slipstream during his quickest effort, something he considers almost essential around Monza because of the circuit’s long straights and relatively small number of corners. He nevertheless felt the morning session remained comparatively orderly and expects drivers to face a more difficult task when the competitive running begins.
“It was good, it was decent,” said Giusti to Formula 3 after the session. “We executed well and we did a good lap. We had a good tow and the car is quick so just need the same for Quali.
“Everyone wants a tow because in Monza it’s nearly not possible to do a good lap without the tow, so everyone wants to have a clear tow and that’s what I had.
“It was quite a clean FP but I think Quali will be even more messy but I hope it will be safe for everyone and we can all have good laps.”
With all three MP cars showing strong outright pace, Giusti heads into Qualifying confident in the underlying performance of the package. The challenge will now be reproducing that speed while managing traffic, timing and the slipstream game within a much shorter session.
Soft tyre provides Giusti with useful Qualifying reference
Giusti began Practice using Hard tyres carried over from the recent Madrid test before moving onto the Soft compound that will also feature in Qualifying. The change gave him an important opportunity to understand the additional grip and balance changes before the afternoon session, while also helping MP Motorsport establish how the car responds over a low-fuel push lap.
His 1:37.445 underlined the performance gain available on the softer compound and placed him comfortably at the head of the session. Giusti also noted that the pace was substantially quicker than during last year’s equivalent Practice, although he expects warmer afternoon conditions to make matching the morning benchmark more difficult.
“I think there was quite a big gain on the softer tyre, it was really good.” Giusti continued, “I think the track was quick, and we were easily a second quicker than last year’s FP.
“I think we will be a bit slower for quali because of the hot temperature, but anyway it doesn’t change anything, it will be the same for everyone so we just need to do our job.”
Rather than becoming concerned about the expected temperature increase, Giusti views the changing conditions as a common challenge across the field. MP Motorsport’s priority will be adapting quickly and maintaining the clean execution that allowed all three cars to feature at the front during the morning.
Giusti expects 2026 Monza F3 Qualifying to become more complicated
Monza’s split Qualifying format places Giusti in Group B, where he will have only 10 minutes to secure his Feature Race starting position. With the field divided into two groups of 15 cars, congestion should be reduced compared with a conventional session, but the shortened running time gives drivers far fewer opportunities to recover from traffic or a compromised lap.
That makes the search for a tow particularly delicate. Giusti wants another car ahead by roughly one or two seconds to maximise the aerodynamic benefit down Monza’s straights, but waiting too long for the perfect gap could leave him without enough time to complete a representative lap.
“Last year it was not that messy to be honest, everyone got a clean lap,” he said. “I think this year the goal is to have the same Quali. It will be easier for everyone but I mean everyone wants a tow of like one or two seconds, something like this.
“Around here you don’t have so many corners, there is a lot of high speeds, so a good tow is needed, but if it’s a mess it’s better to do a lap as well.”
The balance between outright lap-time potential and simply recording a valid attempt could become one of the defining elements of the session. With drivers likely to have only one or two genuine push laps, even a small delay leaving the pits or an awkwardly positioned car ahead could significantly alter the final classification.
Clean lap takes priority over the perfect slipstream
Giusti therefore believes the safest approach is to prioritise completing a lap rather than becoming trapped in Monza’s traditional waiting game. Drivers often slow dramatically as they search for the ideal tow, creating situations where several cars arrive at the same section of circuit while attempting to establish track position.
For Giusti, an imperfect lap without the strongest possible slipstream remains preferable to failing to set one altogether. The reduced length of the session strengthens that argument, as there may not be enough time to abandon one attempt and reorganise for another if the opening run becomes compromised.
“So if you had the choice of having a tow but doing no laps and having no tow but doing laps, it would be the second choice, so that’s something we need to be good at and we need to look for in quali.”
That philosophy will place additional emphasis on MP Motorsport’s preparation before the car leaves the garage. The team must judge when to release Giusti into traffic while also ensuring he has enough space to complete a clean lap before the 10-minute window closes.
Giusti does not see pole as essential to 2026 Monza F3 success
Despite topping Practice and demonstrating clear pace, Giusti has not made pole position the only acceptable outcome from Qualifying. Monza’s powerful slipstream and multiple overtaking opportunities mean starting from the front row does not necessarily provide the same advantage it would at circuits where track position dominates.
The Frenchman instead wants to remain within the leading group and give himself enough track position to fight in Sunday’s Feature Race. He would gladly take pole and the two championship points that accompany it, but believes a place inside the top six would still provide a strong platform for the weekend.
“To get pole would be nice but here it’s not the fastest always with pole,” he concludes. “I feel like I just need to be in the good group for the race. Last year the winner never started on the front row, so I mean just start in a good position would be nice.
“I would be happy with a place in the top six but if it’s pole for sure we’ll take it, it’s two points and to do pole in Monza, my origin being a bit Italian, it would be good to get it here, so I’ll be happy.”
After leading an MP Motorsport 1-2-3 in Practice, Giusti enters Qualifying with evidence that the team has the pace required to fight at the front. His task now is to combine that speed with the correct strategic decisions, ensuring the pursuit of Monza’s valuable slipstream does not come at the expense of completing the lap that ultimately counts.
