FP3 Results Unveil Leading Contenders for Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Lando Norris maintained McLaren‘s dominance at the Imola leaderboard, topping Saturday’s third practice session for Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. His teammate Oscar Piastri followed closely, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third place.

Searing Track Temperatures and Strategic Shifts

Few teams ventured out early due to the scorching temperatures at Imola. Lewis Hamilton led the early running but was soon overtaken by Piastri and then Verstappen. Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls briefly took the lead as the track grip improved. By the halfway point, most medium-tyre runs were wrapping up, with Verstappen leading due to a 1m15.078s lap.

Teams then switched to qualifying simulations on soft tires, utilizing Pirelli’s new C6 compound. Norris was the first to better Verstappen’s benchmark with a 1m14.897s, dipping below the 1m15 barrier for the first time this weekend.

However, Norris had to abort his second push lap after understeering off at Tamburello and driving through the gravel trap. Piastri clocked a 1m14.997s, just one tenth slower. Despite not improving on his first soft-tire run, losing time in the second and third sectors, Verstappen reappeared in the final minutes but couldn’t set a faster lap, ending up 0.181s behind.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli aboard the Mercedes took fourth place, just over half a second behind McLaren, while teammate George Russell struggled with the Silver Arrow’s ride quality. Charles Leclerc was fifth for Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz continuing Williams’ promising start in sixth. Hadjar eventually settled for seventh, followed by Russell, the second Williams of Alex Albon, and the remaining Ferrari of Hamilton completing the top 10.

The session concluded without major incidents, except for an innocuous spin for RB’s Liam Lawson in Tamburello. Yuki Tsunoda ended up 17th after complaining about “zero grip” in the Red Bull, while series returnee Franco Colapinto settled for 18th aboard the Alpine.

What’s Next?

Qualifying for Imola’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which will likely be the last one at this classic Italian venue, begins at 4:00 pm local time. Stay tuned for more updates!