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FP3: Hamilton Tops the Timesheets in Mercedes One-Two as Antonelli Joins 2025 Line-Up
Lewis Hamilton dominated the final practice session ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, leading his Mercedes teammate George Russell to secure a one-two finish for the Silver Arrows. This impressive performance coincided with the announcement that Kimi Antonelli would partner Russell in the 2025 season, signaling a new era for Mercedes.
The third practice session, held at Monza, was crucial for teams as they fine-tuned their cars for the upcoming qualifying session. The session began at 12:30 local time, with teams eager to make up for lost track time due to disruptions during Friday’s practice sessions. These disruptions included red flags following crashes involving Antonelli and Kevin Magnussen, which hampered the teams’ progress.
As FP3 commenced, several drivers opted to start their runs on the hard compound tires, aiming to gather valuable data on a tire that had seen little use on Friday, apart from Yuki Tsunoda. Kevin Magnussen, who had limited running in FP2 due to his crash, quickly switched to soft tires in an effort to regain lost ground. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen set the early pace on medium tires, establishing a benchmark time.
George Russell, who had endured a challenging Friday with delays caused by damage to his car during Antonelli’s FP1 crash, was eager to make up for lost time. Once Russell joined the fray on the medium compound, he quickly surged to the top of the timesheets, showcasing Mercedes’ potential. However, his time at the top was short-lived, as the evolving track conditions led to increasingly faster laps.
As the session progressed, Charles Leclerc delighted the passionate Ferrari fans by clocking a time of 1m 20.614s on soft tires, momentarily taking the lead. The top five drivers were separated by just over a tenth and a half, highlighting the competitive nature of the field. Alex Albon, driving for Williams, then set the fastest time at the halfway point, narrowly edging out Leclerc by a mere 0.018 seconds.
During this phase of the session, an incident involving Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, and Daniel Ricciardo caught the attention of the race stewards. Replays showed Leclerc taking evasive action as Piastri’s McLaren tried to make room for Ricciardo’s Red Bull, causing Leclerc to dip a wheel onto the grass and express his frustration over the team radio.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton stamped his authority on the session by posting a time of 1m 20.117s, securing the fastest lap of FP3. He led his teammate Russell by just 0.093 seconds, underlining Mercedes’ strong showing at Monza. Leclerc trailed Hamilton by a tenth of a second, finishing third, followed closely by the McLaren duo of Piastri and Lando Norris.
Max Verstappen, who had earlier complained about handling issues with his Red Bull, ended the session in sixth place. He was followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in seventh. Albon continued to impress in eighth, with his new teammate Franco Colapinto taking ninth, marking a solid performance for Williams. Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top 10 for Haas.
Further down the order, Fernando Alonso finished 11th in his Aston Martin, ahead of Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, and Lance Stroll in the other Aston Martin. Magnussen, still recovering from his FP2 crash, placed 16th, ahead of Esteban Ocon for Alpine in 17th. However, concerns arose for Haas as Magnussen was forced to stop on track after the session ended due to an issue with his car.
Sergio Perez had a disappointing session, finishing 18th for Red Bull. Kick Sauber’s Saturday morning also got off to a rocky start, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu finishing at the back of the pack. The team’s struggles were observed by former driver Kimi Raikkonen, who was on-site at Monza.
With FP3 in the books, the focus now shifts to the all-important qualifying session scheduled for 16:00 local time, where drivers will vie for pole position at the historic Monza circuit.
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