Emilia Romagna GP: Norris leads McLaren 1-2 in final practice

Lando Norris continued McLaren’s strong form at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, topping the timesheets in Saturday’s third and final practice session at Imola.

The British driver posted a blistering 1m14.897s on Pirelli’s new C6 soft compound, breaking the 1m15 barrier for the first time this weekend.

His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri followed closely, securing a McLaren 1-2 with a 1m14.997s, just a tenth behind.

• Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Free Practice 3 - Results

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, despite a strong showing on medium tyres in the first part of FP3, couldn’t match the McLarens’ pace on softs, finishing third, 0.181s off Norris’s benchmark.

Session Dynamics and Tyre Strategies

With scorching track temperatures at Imola, teams were cautious early on, delaying their runs as the surface grip evolved. Lewis Hamilton briefly led the initial stint on medium tyres before Piastri and Verstappen overhauled the Ferrari charger.

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar also had a moment in the spotlight, briefly topping the times before the field transitioned to soft-tyre qualifying simulations.

Verstappen’s early 1m15.078s on mediums set the standard, but Norris’s switch to softs shifted the momentum. His first flying lap was unmatched, though a subsequent push ended in the Tamburello gravel trap due to understeer.

Verstappen struggled to improve on his soft-tyre runs, losing time in the second and third sectors, leaving McLaren unchallenged at the top.

Notable Performances and Challenges

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed with a fourth-place finish, just over half a second off Norris, while teammate George Russell struggled with the Silver Arrow’s ride quality, settling for eighth.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fifth, followed by Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who continued his promising weekend in sixth. Hadjar secured another impressive seventh, with Alex Albon (Williams) and Hamilton rounding out the top 10.

RB’s Liam Lawson spun harmlessly at Tamburello, while Yuki Tsunoda, complaining of “zero grip,” languished in 17th.

Alpine’s returning Franco Colapinto finished 18th in a low-key session.

Looking Ahead to Qualifying

The session ran smoothly without major incidents, setting the stage for a thrilling qualifying at 4:00 pm local time.

As Imola hosts its final Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for the foreseeable future, McLaren’s pace suggests they’ll be the team to beat, but Verstappen and the chasing pack will look to close the gap.

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