Norris shades Leclerc in a Monza FP3 nail-biter as pack closes up
Lando Norris kept his foot on McLaren’s throat-of-the-weekend form, topping final practice at Monza by a whisper — 0.021s — over Charles Leclerc, with the Tifosi urged into life by a late, flag-falling flyer from the Ferrari man.
It was the sharpest kind of Saturday warm-up: four teams in the top five, the leading quartet separated by less than two tenths, and all 20 drivers crammed inside a single second. If you wanted a preview of qualifying chaos, this was it.
Norris, smooth and low-drag-lean on the straights, backed up his Friday speed with a 1:19.331 that held through the final push laps. Leclerc’s late effort split the McLarens, but only just — the Ferrari arrived right as the chequered flag waved, lighting up the grandstands and suggesting there’s more to come when slipstream roulette starts in Q3.
Oscar Piastri, in the other McLaren that currently leads the Constructors’ table, had been second until Leclerc’s sting, finishing 0.165s off his teammate. Max Verstappen was 0.167s down in fourth, the Red Bull sitting tightly behind the McLaren-Ferrari sandwich and looking ominously within range of a front-row fight. George Russell made it five cars within 0.184s as Mercedes kept itself firmly in the frame.
Monza tends to expose everything — power, drag, confidence under brakes — and the midfield looked properly bunched. Gabriel Bortoleto delivered the standout headline among them, the Sauber rookie firing in P6, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar. Kimi Antonelli put the second Mercedes ninth, with Alex Albon rounding out the top 10 for Williams.
Further back, Nico Hülkenberg placed the second Sauber 11th, Fernando Alonso slotted Aston Martin 12th, and Carlos Sainz — now Williams blue — took 13th ahead of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine. Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull ended up 15th, while Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls, Oliver Bearman’s Haas, and an Alpine-Aston mini-stat quirk saw Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll tie to the thousandth in 18th and 19th. Esteban Ocon closed the sheet for Haas, 0.973s from Norris.
The margins were microscopic and the tells familiar: everyone chasing a tow, everyone fretting about traffic, everyone trying not to tip their hand before qualifying. With the top four within 0.167s and the entire field compressed to a stopwatch blink, this is the kind of Monza Saturday that tends to be decided by timing as much as outright pace.
Key takeaways heading into qualifying:
– McLaren looks razor-sharp on low fuel, with Norris and Piastri trading tenths all weekend.
– Ferrari has one-lap bite in Leclerc’s hands and a sea of red behind him — expect queue management to be everything.
– Verstappen is well within striking distance; Red Bull’s peak may still be tucked away.
– Mercedes has pace to disrupt. Russell’s fifth, Antonelli’s ninth suggests both cars are in the Q3 mix.
– Rookie watch: Bortoleto P6 and Hadjar P8 were no flukes. Both looked composed and quick in traffic.
Monza rarely does subtle, and the tow games will only get spicier when it counts. Pick the wrong out-lap gap, and you’ll be the one swallowing your radio cord in Q1. Pick the right one, and pole could be decided by a sniff of slipstream.
Top 10, Italian GP FP3:
1) Lando Norris, McLaren – 1:19.331
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.021
3) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.165
4) Max Verstappen, Red Bull +0.167
5) George Russell, Mercedes +0.184
6) Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber +0.227
7) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +0.267
8) Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls +0.272
9) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes +0.365
10) Alex Albon, Williams +0.389
Every sign points to a qualifying session decided on inches and nerve. Buckle up.
