Third Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Italian F1 Grand Prix

Event: Italian Grand Prix
Track: Monza Circuit

Weather: Clear & Sunny  32°C / 89,6°F
Tarmac: Dry  54°C / 129,2°F
Humidity : 41%
Wind : 1.8 km/h South
Pressure: 996 mbar

Russell Tops FP3 as Verstappen Rejoins Monza Fight

George Russell strengthened his grip on favourite status for pole position at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix by topping final practice at Monza ahead of Lewis Hamilton and a resurgent Max Verstappen.

Russell produced a 1:22.219 to finish 0.226s clear of Hamilton, with Verstappen third after making a significant step forward from his difficult Friday. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli took fourth ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.

The timing sheet did not reveal everything. Hamilton and Leclerc both lost potentially quicker laps, Oscar Piastri was badly compromised by traffic and Russell benefited from a tow during part of his qualifying preparation. Even allowing for that, the Mercedes driver looked consistently quick and heads into qualifying as the man everyone needs to beat.

Russell confirms Mercedes pace

Antonelli set the early serious benchmark with a 1:23.032, but Russell soon took control.

His first major qualifying simulation produced a 1:22.687. Although it initially appeared the Mercedes driver had completed the lap without assistance, replays showed Antonelli had given him a tow on the approach to Ascari.

Russell continued to improve as grip built up around Monza, lowering the target to 1:22.463 before eventually finding another quarter of a second.

His final 1:22.219 proved comfortably good enough for first place.

Hamilton came closest at 0.226s behind, but Russell's advantage was not simply the result of slipstreaming. He had looked competitive throughout the session, while Mercedes' power unit appeared particularly effective on Monza's long straights.

Having also topped FP2, Russell has now led both sessions since Ferrari controlled Friday morning.

Hamilton keeps Ferrari firmly in contention

Ferrari remains close enough to make qualifying uncomfortable for Mercedes.

Leclerc had been the stronger Ferrari driver on Friday, topping FP1 and finishing second in FP2, but Hamilton stepped forward in final practice.

The Briton finished second and his position may actually underestimate the Scuderia's potential.

Hamilton was fastest through the opening sector on one soft-tyre attempt before abandoning the lap in sector two. Leclerc also lost time in traffic and had to abort one of his faster runs.

Earlier in the session, Hamilton gave Leclerc a tow that helped the Monegasque climb to second, around two tenths away from Russell's benchmark at that stage.

Ferrari therefore enters qualifying with two cars capable of challenging near the front, even if Russell currently holds the edge.

Verstappen makes major overnight recovery

Red Bull's position looks considerably healthier than it did on Friday evening.

Verstappen finished FP2 only ninth after repeatedly complaining about the behaviour of the RB22, but the car looked far more competitive in FP3.

There were still problems.

The Dutchman locked up at Turn 1 and had to take to the escape road, while he also told Red Bull that a lap completed in clean air felt slow and asked for another run with a tow to understand the difference.

Once the final soft-tyre simulations arrived, however, Verstappen moved into third.

That put him ahead of Antonelli, Norris and Leclerc and suggested Red Bull had made meaningful progress overnight.

Mercedes still appears to have the raw pace advantage, but Verstappen is no longer facing the sizeable deficit that left Red Bull with so much work to do after FP2.

Antonelli could become Russell's secret weapon

Antonelli once again showed pace that will not translate into his actual starting position on Sunday.

The championship leader ran near the front throughout FP3 and eventually finished fourth, but he is set to start from the back after taking enough new power unit components to trigger grid penalties.

That creates an unusual qualifying scenario for Mercedes.

Antonelli has little reason to prioritise his own grid position, but reaching Q3 could still prove extremely useful if he can provide Russell with a tow.

Mercedes practised exactly that during FP3.

With slipstreaming particularly powerful around Monza, Antonelli could effectively become an extra weapon in Russell's attempt to claim pole.

McLaren still difficult to judge

McLaren remains one of the harder teams to place heading into qualifying.

Norris finished fifth, but Piastri's position was heavily affected by traffic.

The Australian had already abandoned one promising lap before encountering Russell on the racing line during another attempt, forcing him to back out again.

Piastri was down in eighth at the time, but clearly had more performance available than the timing screen suggested.

Norris has also shown several times this season that he can find another level when qualifying begins.

Mercedes currently appears strongest, Ferrari is close and Verstappen has rejoined the battle, but writing McLaren out of the pole fight would be premature.

Traffic threatens qualifying chaos

FP3 offered a clear warning of what could happen once qualifying starts.

At Monza, nobody wants to be the car punching a hole through the air for everybody else.

Drivers therefore spent large parts of the session searching for a tow while simultaneously trying to avoid giving one away.

The result was heavy traffic and frequent aborted laps.

Leclerc lost time behind slower cars. Hamilton abandoned a promising run. Piastri had an attempt destroyed by Russell.

Several teams also actively practised tow tactics.

Williams used Alex Albon to help Carlos Sainz, while Alpine experimented with Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly running together.

With drivers needing clean air for tyre preparation but a slipstream on the straights, qualifying could become as much a battle of positioning and timing as outright speed.

Hamilton and Verstappen add late tension

The session produced one final flashpoint after the chequered flag.

Hamilton overtook Verstappen before the pair ran alongside each other down the main straight, with both appearing frustrated by the other's actions.

Verstappen eventually backed out.

The moment had no impact on the final classification, but it provided a tense end to practice between two drivers who could both feature near the front of the grid later in the day.

Lawson spins as drivers struggle for grip

Liam Lawson endured a less straightforward FP3 in the second Red Bull.

He lost the rear entering the first chicane and spun, briefly producing yellow flags.

Too much kerb and limited rear grip appeared to contribute, potentially leaving flat spots on his tyres.

Lawson was far from alone in struggling around the opening complex.

Verstappen ran straight on at Turn 1, Piastri locked up and several drivers found the grip level difficult to judge.

Sergio Perez also dipped a wheel into the gravel through the Lesmos later in the session.

Albon joins Antonelli at the back

Antonelli will not be the only driver carrying a major penalty into Sunday's race.

Albon has also taken enough new power unit components to be sent towards the back of the grid.

His FP3 running was initially delayed by a steering problem, forcing Williams to bring the car back into the garage before eventually repairing it.

With Albon's own qualifying position compromised, Williams used the session to practise giving Sainz a tow instead.

There were also rumours that Lawson could receive a penalty, although nothing had been confirmed during FP3.

Russell enters qualifying as the man to beat

Three practice sessions have gradually clarified the Monza picture.

Leclerc put Ferrari on top in FP1.

Russell responded in FP2.

Then Mercedes went fastest again in FP3, with Hamilton's Ferrari the closest challenger.

Verstappen has recovered enough performance to become a genuine factor, while McLaren's true ceiling remains difficult to establish after compromised running.

The tow will matter. Traffic will matter. Getting the tyres into the correct window at exactly the right moment will matter.

But one driver enters qualifying with the clearest advantage.

Russell has topped two consecutive sessions, Mercedes looks particularly strong on the straights and Antonelli may be able to help him when it matters most.

Ferrari, Verstappen and McLaren still have the chance to spoil the plan.

For now, though, everyone is chasing George Russell.

FP3 Times Table 2026 Italian GP

The quickest lap time of last year's FP3 was a 1:19.331 min, set by Lando Norris in the McLaren MCL39 on Soft tyres.

The quickest sector times during today's FP3 were:

• Sector 1: 26.981 sec. by Oscar Piastri with the McLaren MCL40.
• Sector 2: 27.704 sec. by Lando Norris with the McLaren MCL40.
• Sector 3: 27.282 sec. by Max Verstappen with the Red Bull RB22.

What's Your Podium Prediction for the upcoming F1 Grand Prix?

United States Grand PrixAustin · round 18 of 23

The Predictor F1-Fansite data model

Championship form and recent form. The starting grid joins in after qualifying, then the chances update.

1Kimi AntonelliMercedes · #1237%to win

2Max VerstappenRed Bull · #314%to win

3George RussellMercedes · #639.5%to win

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All 22 drivers: win, podium and points chances

#	Driver	Win	Podium	Points	Why
1	Kimi AntonelliMercedes	37%	80%	100%	P1 in the championship · 4 podiums in the last 5
2	Max VerstappenRed Bull	14%	46%	98%	P4 in the championship · 5 podiums in the last 5
3	George RussellMercedes	9.5%	32%	95%	P2 in the championship · 2 podiums in the last 5
4	Charles LeclercFerrari	8.2%	28%	93%	P5 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5, 1 DNF
5	Lewis HamiltonFerrari	7.7%	29%	93%	P3 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5, 1 DNF
6	Lando NorrisMcLaren	6.8%	23%	88%	P6 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5, 1 DNF
7	Oscar PiastriMcLaren	3.6%	14%	74%	P7 in the championship · no podium in the last 5
8	Isack HadjarRed Bull	3.2%	11%	66%	P8 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5
9	Liam LawsonRacing Bulls	1.6%	6.7%	47%	P9 in the championship · no podium in the last 5
10	Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls	1.2%	4.8%	36%	P11 in the championship · no podium in the last 5
11	Nico HülkenbergAudi	0.9%	3.4%	26%	P14 in the championship · no podium in the last 5
12	Pierre GaslyAlpine	0.8%	2.8%	25%	P10 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF
13	Esteban OconHaas	0.8%	2.5%	21%	P18 in the championship · no podium in the last 5
14	Franco ColapintoAlpine	0.8%	2.9%	22%	P12 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 2 DNFs
15	Oliver BearmanHaas	0.7%	2.8%	22%	P13 in the championship · no podium in the last 5
16	Carlos SainzWilliams	0.5%	2.1%	16%	P17 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF
17	Gabriel BortoletoAudi	0.5%	2.0%	16%	P15 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF
18	Valtteri BottasCadillac	0.4%	1.4%	12%	P22 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF
19	Fernando AlonsoAston Martin	0.4%	1.7%	14%	P16 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 2 DNFs
20	Lance StrollAston Martin	0.4%	1.4%	11%	P23 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 4 DNFs
21	Alex AlbonWilliams	0.4%	1.4%	12%	P19 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 3 DNFs
22	Sergio PérezCadillac	0.4%	1.3%	13%	P21 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF

Podium = chance of a top-three finish, Points = chance of a top-ten. Rounded; the win column adds up to 100%.

Season standings · 2026

PThe Predictormodel38 pts

1An Sionnach37 pts

2Shroppyfly37 pts

3Nobodysperfect31 pts

4Leopold Pleijsier28 pts

5Jere Jyrälä18 pts

6Casparovic16 pts

7ipeluri12 pts

8yhee10 pts

9Juandiez10 pts

10Kasra8 pts

11bearman's7 pts

12Mo6 pts

13Raceworks Media6 pts

14Rahmi Can6 pts

15Killabee6 pts

16Carlo6 pts

17MKL6 pts

18Sudhjd6 pts

19Tori Green6 pts

20Marcos Torres Barker6 pts

How the Predictor works

No bookmakers, no odds: every number comes from the F1-Fansite results database. Each driver gets a strength score from the factors below; the race is then simulated 10,000 times and we count how often each driver wins, finishes on the podium or scores points. It does not know about weather or reliability, and it says so. Grid penalties count as soon as the official starting grid is in.

60%Championship formPoints this season, relative to the leader.

40%Recent formThe last five finishes; a DNF counts as P20.

0%Starting gridHow often each grid slot has won over the last eight seasons. Joins after qualifying.

Before qualifying the model is honest about the odds: three or four candidates share most of the chance. After qualifying the grid takes over and the call sharpens.

12/17winners called

1.9/3podium drivers per race

2exact podiums

70prediction points

Calibration this season: when it said 7%, it happened 0% of the time; when it said 15%, it happened 7% of the time.

✅ Don't forget to check out our 2026 Italian F1 Grand Prix preview info.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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