Alessandro Giusti led an MP Motorsport sweep of the top three positions in Free Practice at Monza, setting a 1:37.445 to establish the benchmark ahead of Friday afternoon’s split Qualifying session at the 2026 Monza F3 Round. The Frenchman finished 0.232s clear of teammate Tuukka Taponen, while Mattia Colnaghi completed an impressive 1-2-3 for the Dutch squad.
Gerrard Xie placed fourth for DAMS Lucas Oil ahead of Campos Racing’s Ernesto Rivera, while Yevan David, Kanato Le, Noah Strømsted, Nicola Lacorte and Bruno del Pino completed the top 10. The order changed repeatedly throughout the session before the Soft-tyre Qualifying simulations produced the decisive lap times in the closing minutes.
Taponen sets the early pace for MP Motorsport
Taponen established the first meaningful benchmark with a 1:40.020, putting MP Motorsport immediately at the head of the order. Giusti followed around half a second behind in second, before Strømsted closed to within 0.337s and PREMA Racing debutant Alex Powell moved into third.
Hitech’s Jin Nakamura later displaced Taponen at the top, although his spell in first proved brief as Colnaghi responded with a 1:39.467. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi then climbed to within 0.064s of Colnaghi, but Taponen reclaimed first on his following effort with a 1:39.150.
The early running demonstrated MP Motorsport’s strength across all three cars, although several rivals remained within striking distance. As the drivers continued lowering their times, the battle at the front became increasingly fluid ahead of the final Soft-tyre runs.
Ugochukwu joins fight at front
Championship contender Ugo Ugochukwu became the next driver to lead the session, setting a 1:38.883 for Campos Racing. His effort put him 0.108s clear of AIX Racing’s David, but Taponen soon returned to the top with a 1:38.444.
Taito Kato followed Taponen across the line to move into second for ART Grand Prix, initially sitting 0.405s behind the Finn. The Japanese driver then reduced that deficit to 0.202s on his next attempt, while teammate Le climbed into third to give ART two cars towards the front.
Taponen improved fractionally again to a 1:38.437, but Yamakoshi ensured his advantage remained small by moving to within 0.088s. With the leading order tightly packed, teams began preparing for their final Qualifying simulations as the session entered its last quarter.
Soft tyres transform the order
With just over 14 minutes remaining, teams began fitting the Soft compound as they prepared for low-fuel runs. Most of the field returned to the circuit with fewer than 10 minutes left, setting up a rapid sequence of improvements across the closing stages.
Rivera initially took advantage by going fastest with a 1:37.901 for Campos Racing. Giusti then delivered the standout lap of the session, lowering the benchmark to a 1:37.445 and establishing a new F3 lap record around Monza.
Taponen followed into second, ending 0.232s behind his teammate, before Colnaghi moved into third at the chequered flag. The late improvement completed a dominant MP Motorsport 1-2-3 and underlined the team’s pace ahead of the afternoon’s split Qualifying session.
Ugochukwu and De Palo make late contact
The closing moments also produced drama on the main straight as Ugochukwu and Matteo De Palo made contact. Both cars sustained damage and came to a stop at the side of the circuit, ending a session in which Ugochukwu had earlier occupied the top of the timesheets.
The incident did not alter the leading order, with Giusti remaining comfortably fastest from Taponen and Colnaghi. Xie produced a strong late run to take fourth, while Rivera slipped to fifth after briefly leading following the switch to Soft tyres.
David finished sixth for AIX Racing, with Le seventh for ART Grand Prix and Strømsted eighth for TRIDENT. Lacorte gave DAMS Lucas Oil a second car inside the top 10 in ninth, while Van Amersfoort Racing’s del Pino rounded out the leading group.
MP Motorsport carries Free Practice momentum into split Qualifying at the 2026 F3 Monza Round
The field now turns its attention towards Monza’s two-group Qualifying format, which returns after being used earlier in the season at Monaco. Group A will take to the circuit first at 14:00 local time for its 10-minute session, before Group B follows at 14:20.
With drivers likely to have only one or two serious push laps, track positioning and the strength of the slipstream will play a major role in determining the grid. MP Motorsport enters Qualifying with the strongest reference after locking out the top three places in Free Practice, but the split format means each driver must first maximise their position within their respective group.
Giusti’s 1:37.445 provides the outright benchmark, while Taponen and Colnaghi’s presence immediately behind him demonstrated that MP’s pace extended across the full line-up. The challenge now will be translating that speed into a strong Qualifying result when the field is divided and the margins become even more important.
