Italian GP: Hamilton and Russell top FP3 amid tight spread

Mercedes placed its pair of silver arrows at the top of the time sheet in Saturday’s final practice, with Lewis Hamilton leading teammate George Russell by just 0.093s in the session.

The duo ensured its supremacy in the latter part of the session, knocking Ferrari off its pedestal, with Charles Leclerc clocking in third, but just 0.109s behind Hamilton.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were grouped together in fourth and fifth position, while a struggling Max Verstappen completed the top six.

• Italian Grand Prix Free Practice 3 - Results

It was a leisurely start to the final dress rehearsal before this afternoon’s all-important qualifying, with only a handful of drivers heading out when the track went green.

However, Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s early presence among the runners was a clear indication of the duo’s determination.

But it was also likely justified by Red Bull’s desire to put to the test a visibly thinner rear wing mounted on its RB20 to help improve the car’s top velocity at Monza’s Temple of Speed.

Early laps proved conclusive as Verstappen set the first benchmark before Russell overhauled the Dutchman.

A blend of medium and soft tyres were the norm in the first part of the session although a few drivers sampled the hard compound.

Gradually, a soft-shod pair of Ferraris built up its momentum which resulted in Leclerc seizing the top spot from Russell while Sainz slotted into third.

Norris then took his turn at the top but was immediately demoted by Sainz. But improvements were fast and furious, with Russell settling briefly in P1 until Leclerc recouped the lead with a 0.092s margin.

But out of the blue, a superb effort by Albon on the softs saw the Williams charger leapfrog the entire front-running group to set the fastest lap with a 1m20.596s that edged Leclerc by 0.018s.

However, Sainz and Leclerc would have none of it as the Scuderia pair elbowed their way back to the top with 20 minutes remaining in the session.

Meanwhile, Verstappen continued to grind around on the medium tyre, in no hurry to bolt on the softs.

Times at the front were competitive, with only half a second separating the top six. On the timing screens, Norris, now running with a higher downforce front wing on his MCL38, went purple in the second sector but the Briton was only second at the finish line, 0.036s adrift from Leclerc.

Piastri went faster than his McLaren teammate but was still 0.026 behind the leading Ferrari. But Mercedes ultimately upset the pecking order, with Hamilton and Russell going 1-2, despite the latter complaining about the balance of his silver arrow.

The session thus concluded with Hamilton and Russell leading the field from Leclerc, Piastri, Norris and Verstappen who still appeared at odds with handling of his RB20.

Sainz was P7, just ahead of Albon and a very impressive Colapinto, the Williams pair entertaining hopes of a Q3 later on in qualifying, while Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg rounded off the top-ten.

Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu and Bottas closed out the field, while Sergio Perez concluded his session was a worrying P18.

With three teams in the mix – Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren – and Verstappen always a force to be reckoned with, it’s all to play for in qualifying, with everyone anticipating a thrilling grid-defining session.

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