Monza doesn’t do half-measures, and neither does Max Verstappen. Even in FP3.
The Red Bull star and Esteban Ocon lit up Saturday morning at the Temple of Speed with a feisty, elbows-out skirmish over track position that felt more Q3 than prep laps. It was a classic Monza scene: a tow to chase, laps to save, and two drivers unwilling to be the one who blinked.
Verstappen tucked into the slipstream of the Haas down the pit straight and went for the inside at Turn 1. He got it done, briefly, only for Ocon to hang tough around the outside of the Rettifilo and reclaim the spot. That little arm-wrestle wrecked both flyers, and Verstappen’s radio made its feelings known — a profanity-laced burst that didn’t need subtitles to translate.
Cue round two. On the run to the Roggia chicane, Verstappen had re-established track position and made sure to close the door firmly as Ocon sized up a reply. No contact, but no invitation either.
From the Sky F1 box, Nico Rosberg initially applauded Ocon’s resilience in the opening exchange before cooling on the second act. His verdict in essence: the Haas driver could have played it smarter. Once Verstappen shut the line, Ocon’s opportunism just confirmed who’d won the bout.
It’s only practice, yes. But these things aren’t happening in a vacuum. Ocon’s first year in Haas colours has come with a point to prove, and Monza’s qualifying games amplify every ego and engineer’s plan. You need a tow, you need clear air, and you definitely don’t want to be bullied into abandoning a prep lap. Verstappen, meanwhile, is Verstappen — uncompromising by design, especially when he senses someone trying to impose on his rhythm.
And there’s history. Brazil 2018 isn’t forgotten: Ocon, then with Force India, collided with race leader Verstappen while attempting to unlap himself, and the aftermath turned physical in the paddock. They’ve been mostly cordial since, but the dynamic remains combustible. You don’t need much kindling to get a flame.
None of this will show up in the results sheet for FP3, where the stopwatch is supposed to matter more than the machismo. But in real terms it’s a reminder of how crowded and political Monza’s final practice can be. Drivers stack up. Gaps disappear. One misread or power play and you’re tripping over each other into the chicanes like it’s lap one.
From a team’s point of view, it’s headache material. Engineers crave clean, repeatable data; instead, they get spikes of adrenaline and a set of tyres that have done more shoulder work than planned. For Haas, the upside is Ocon looked assertive in traffic — that matters here. For Red Bull, Verstappen’s instincts served notice ahead of qualifying: he’s not interested in yielding an inch, even for a Haas on a hot lap.
Will the stewards care? Probably not. This was on the right side of aggressive and, crucially, didn’t end in carbon shards. But don’t be shocked if the tension carries into qualifying, where the tow games and queue etiquette turn the pit lane into a chess board. The lesson for everyone else is simple: if you pick a fight with Verstappen, you’d better make it stick the first time. If you give him a second look, he tends to slam the door hard enough that it echoes.
Ocon won’t lose any sleep over it. He’s built his career on stubborn defending and opportunistic counterpunches, and Haas didn’t hire him to be polite. Monza rewards a bit of swagger. Just be careful who you choose to flex on at 340 km/h.
Qualifying will tell us if this was a harmless teaser or the start of a subplot with teeth. Either way, Monza’s awake now — and so are two drivers who needed no invitation to spice up a Saturday morning.
