George Russell set the tone at Monza on Saturday, ending a frantic final practice on top and underlining Mercedes’ growing authority with a 1m 22.219s lap that nobody could match.
Lewis Hamilton slotted in behind to make it a Mercedes one-two, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull after a session that crackled with tension, traffic and a few old grudges resurfacing on the main straight.
Quiet start, then Monza wakes up
For a few early minutes, Monza felt oddly subdued. When the lights went green at 1230 local time, only the Audi pair of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg ventured out, circulating alone while the grandstands filled and the pit lane waited.
The calm did not last.
Alpine soon joined the fray, and Williams hit early trouble. Alex Albon reported a steering wheel issue and had his car rolled back into the garage, a worrying sight for a driver already facing a back-of-the-grid start due to engine penalties. The team fixed it quickly enough, and Albon rejoined once the track began to crowd.
Pierre Gasly drew first blood among the frontrunners, going quickest after the opening 15 minutes while several big names stayed parked. Then Ferrari released Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, both on soft tyres, to the delight of the Tifosi who had been waiting for that flash of red to light up the pit exit.
Antonelli shines, penalties or not
Kimi Antonelli then took centre stage. The young Mercedes driver, consigned to start from the back after a planned engine change and its accompanying grid penalty, fired in a 1m 23.032s to go top. On a weekend that should have been about damage limitation, he instead turned FP3 into a statement.
The session briefly paused under yellow flags when Liam Lawson spun into the first chicane, the Red Bull driver complaining of problems with “the rear in low speed.” Albon, still recovering from his early drama, picked up a warning for failing to follow the Race Director’s escape road instructions.
At halfway, Antonelli still led, two tenths clear of Leclerc with Gasly third. Not everyone was as content. Oscar Piastri locked up into Turn 1, took to the escape road and then offered a biting, sarcastic “great” over the radio.
Russell turns the screw
Then Russell arrived.
He punched in a 1m 22.697s, three tenths faster than his team mate, and briefly looked untouchable. Traffic soon swallowed him up, though, leaving him frustrated on the radio as he found himself boxed in by a cluster of cars with no way through.
The final 15 minutes turned the session into a qualifying dress rehearsal. Antonelli, Russell and Verstappen strapped on fresh softs and the timing screens lit up. Every lap mattered; every tow could swing a grid slot.
Williams tried to make that tow work to their advantage. With both Albon and Carlos Sainz carrying engine penalties and destined for the back, Albon offered Sainz a slipstream, a rehearsal for a strategy they hope to exploit later in qualifying. Both, however, face a post-session investigation for a possible yellow flag infringement.
Verstappen’s patience wore thin in the chaos. He complained that a Ferrari was “always in the way” as he tried to thread a clean lap through heavy traffic. Russell, too, found himself under the stewards’ gaze for a possible impeding incident with Piastri, but that was quickly brushed aside with no further action.
Old rivalry, new flashpoint
The sharpest moment came between two familiar protagonists.
Hamilton and Verstappen found each other on the main straight, Hamilton overtaking before the pair ran side-by-side down towards Turn 1 and into the braking zone at Turn 2. It was tense, uncompromising and laced with history. Both voiced their displeasure over team radio. The stewards noted the incident, then opted against an investigation. The message was clear: hard but acceptable.
Through it all, Russell’s earlier benchmark stood firm. His 1m 22.219s remained untouched, leaving him two tenths ahead of Hamilton, with Verstappen third as the chequered flag fell.
Antonelli’s impressive run ended in fourth, a strong marker from a driver starting at the very back. Lando Norris put his McLaren fifth, Leclerc settled for sixth, and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad took seventh. Piastri, Gasly and Franco Colapinto in the second Alpine rounded out the top 10.
Hulkenberg finished 11th, followed by Lawson, Bortoleto, Haas rookie Ollie Bearman, and Yuki Tsunoda in the second Racing Bulls. Sainz ended up behind them, ahead of the other Haas of Esteban Ocon and Albon.
At the tail of the order, Aston Martin struggled. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were marooned in 19th and 22nd, split only by the Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
Practice is done. The numbers are on the board. At 1600 local time, with penalties, politics and that simmering Hamilton–Verstappen edge in play, qualifying at Monza will decide who really holds the high ground.
