Title: Sainz Sets the Pace in Final Practice at Monza Ahead of Italian Grand Prix Qualifying
Subtitle: Ferrari continues to impress on home soil as Carlos Sainz narrowly leads Verstappen and Hamilton
Monza, Italy – Ferrari displayed their continued dominance at their home race, with Carlos Sainz setting the fastest time in the final practice session ahead of the Italian Grand Prix qualifying later today. The Spaniard narrowly led rival Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, indicating that a thrilling battle is expected for pole position.
After an eventful first day at the Temple of Speed, the drivers returned with the challenge of adapting to the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA) for the weekend. As they geared up for the session, many opted to try used tyres, with all three tyre compounds on display.
In the initial 20 minutes of running, it was Verstappen who once again showcased his skill by setting the fastest time on the soft tyres, clocking in at 1m 21.687s. Sergio Perez trailed behind by over half a second, with Hamilton sitting in third.
As the track conditions improved, the drivers began switching tyres. Alex Albon made an impressive jump to second place on medium tyres, while Oscar Piastri’s flying lap was cut short as he ran through the gravel at Turn 4.
A number of drivers then equipped themselves with new soft tyres, which allowed Sainz to climb to the top of the leaderboard with a lap time of 1m 20.912s. Verstappen trailed closely behind, just 0.086s off the pace. Hamilton briefly held the fastest time but ended up in third place, over half a second behind Sainz. Charles Leclerc, the 2019 Italian GP winner, secured fourth place despite dipping his tyres in the gravel on his first lap.
In a surprising turn of events, Fernando Alonso finished fifth for Aston Martin, ahead of George Russell, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hulkenberg who secured seventh and eighth place respectively for Haas. Albon rounded off the top ten. Sergio Perez experienced mechanical issues and couldn’t participate in a qualifying simulation run on the soft tyres. He settled for tenth place, followed by Lance Stroll in 11th.
Liam Lawson claimed 12th position for AlphaTauri, with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in 13th. McLaren’s Piastri had a rocky session, finishing in 14th place after making contact with Sainz during a flying lap.
Logan Sargeant secured 15th place for Williams, while Valtteri Bottas slotted his Alfa Romeo just behind him. Lando Norris had a challenging session, ending up in 17th place, followed by Esteban Ocon in 18th. Pierre Gasly of Alpine rounded off the field, with Zhou Guanyu splitting the Alpine duo.
With the completion of the final practice session, drivers and teams will now focus on finalizing their set-ups ahead of the much-anticipated qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled to start at 1600 local time. The battle for pole position promises to be fierce, as Ferrari aims to maintain their impressive form on home turf.