Mercedes’ George Russell tops FP3 with an unbeaten time of 1:22.219 at the 2026 F1 Italian GP, full report below.
Ferrari made a strong start to the weekend, with Charles Leclerc leading a one-two in FP1 ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who finished a tenth behind, while George Russell rounded out the top three. However, Russell took control in the second session of the day, topping FP2 as Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli followed closely behind.
With Mercedes and Ferrari showing promising pace ahead of the fight for pole, the Prancing Horse will hope its newly upgraded engine pays dividends on home soil for them. In FP3, teams will hope to use the final practice session to fine-tune their setups before setting the grid for Sunday’s race at the Temple of Speed later this afternoon.
A quiet start to FP3
As the session got underway, the track remained quiet, with only the two Audi drivers heading out to scrub a set of medium tyres. Both Alpines soon followed suit and headed out on track as well. After completing an out lap, Alex Albon returned to the pits and reported a steering issue as his team wheeled his car back into the garage.
Pierre Gasly set the first lap time of the session, setting down an early benchmark with a 1:23.878. More than ten minutes into the session, several drivers joined the Alpine duo on track. Drivers and teams were split on their approach during the opening stages of the session, opting for either the Soft or Medium compound.
Colapinto lowered the benchmark further on a set of Medium tyres, moving to the top with a 1:23.766. However, on a push lap, Antonelli’s first effort was enough to catapult to the top with a 1:23.032, as Leclerc slotted in behind with a 1:23.250.
Spins and pushing the limits at Monza
Meanwhile, replays showed Hamilton running wide into the gravel at Lesmo 2. Brief yellow flags came out after Liam Lawson spun at the Rettifilo chicane and ended up facing the wrong way. The New Zealander quickly recovered and continued on his way.
As it stood, Antonelli, Gasly, Max Verstappen, Russell and Lando Norris completed the top five. Leclerc slotted into P2 on the soft tyres with a 1:23.271. Further down the field, Arvid Lindblad broke into the top ten with a 1:23.641, moving up to P6.
Oscar Piastri and Verstappen both fell victim to the Retifillo chicane, running across the run-off area. However, improving on his next run, a 1:23.111 was enough for Hamilton to go P3. Setting purple sectors, Russell displaced his teammate to the top with a 1:22.687, putting three and a half tenths between them.
With twenty minutes left of the session, Leclerc split the two Mercedes at the top, going P2 with a 1:22.913. Extending his lead out in front, Russell’s next effort saw him lower the benchmark to 1:22.463.
Final runs of the session
With most of the field on a set of Soft tyres, drivers continued to rack up the laps. However, setting a purple final sector, Lindblad put together an impressive lap to go P3 with a 1:22.724. As drivers embarked on their final runs of the session, lap times continued to tumble across the field.
At Lesmo 2, Sergio Perez ran wide and kicked up gravel onto the track. Russell’s 1:22.219 proved difficult to beat, as the Mercedes driver made a statement by finishing two tenths clear of Hamilton in P2. However, as the chequered flag fell, Russell, Hamilton, Verstappen, Antonelli and Norris rounded out the top five.
