Red Bull driver Max Verstappen set the pace in the third and final practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, leading Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and team-mate Sergio Perez around the Monza circuit.
Verstappen beat Leclerc by 0.347s in 1m 21.252s on the soft tires – Monaco’s first run, on a red-tagged tire compromised by a mistake at the Variante della Roggia chicane – with Perez two and one-half tenths back.
Also read: 5 things we learned from Friday’s practice at the Italian Grand Prix
Verstappen was also the fastest driver in the medium-shot runs – even after Ferrari’s switch to Softs, his early benchmark tied him with Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
It sets up an intriguing qualifying session later this afternoon, with Verstappen, Sainz and many other drivers confirmed to receive penalties. Engine and gearbox component changes.
|
1 maximum Verstappen VER Red Bull Racing |
1:21.252 |
|
2 Charles Leclerc LEC Ferrari |
+0.347s |
|
3 Sergio Perez PER Red Bull Racing |
+0.596s |
|
4 Carlos Signs Chai Ferrari |
+0.645s |
|
5 Fernando Alonso Hello Alpine |
+1.054s |
Sainz was next in the other Ferrari – half a tenth away from Perez – with Fernando Alonso Alpine fifth and in prime position to benefit from various penalties.
McLaren’s Lando Norris held on in sixth, with Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton seventh and 10th respectively – sandwiching Albadari’s Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Esteban Ogan (the latter joined the penalty list with an engine change).
Grid penalties for the 2022 Italian Grand Prix
| driver | Punishment |
|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | 5 seats |
| Stephen O’Conn | 5 seats |
| Sergio Perez | 10 seats |
| Mick Schumacher | 15 seats |
| Valtteri Bottas | 15 seats |
| Kevin Magnussen | 15 seats |
| Carlos Sainz | Back of grid |
| Lewis Hamilton | Back of grid |
| Yuki Tsunoda | Back of grid |
Zhou Guanyu led the Alfa Romeo charge in 11th, five places and three-tenths faster than team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with Pierre Gasly’s other AlphaTauri in 12th.
At Williams, a late driver change saw Nyck de Vries enter Alex Alban’s car for FP3 – and the weekend – The Thai driver developed appendicitis.
Fresh from his run in Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin during FP1, De Vries bounced back from a trip to clock the 14th-fastest time through the gravel in Lesmo 1, just over a tenth down on regular Williams driver Nicholas Latifi – both of whom want to gain a place. At the 2023 stage.
FP3 Highlights: 2022 Italian Grand Prix
Daniel Ricciardo was half a second behind teammate Lando Norris en route to 15th ahead of the aforementioned Bottas and Vettel and Kevin Magnussen’s Haas (another to make power unit changes).
At the back, Mick Schumacher had further problems as he spent most of the session stuck in the garage due to a clutch problem when Haas fired his car.
It came after the German completed nine rounds on Friday. Having been sidelined for Antonio Giovinazzi in FP1, Schumacher’s FP2 session was derailed halfway through due to a power unit-related stoppage.
Lance Stroll brought up the rear for Aston Martin, six tenths from team-mate Vettel and 2.5s off the pace set by Verstappen.
Qualifying for the 2022 Italian Grand Prix Starts at 1600 local time. With the likes of Verstappen, Perez, Sainz and Hamilton taking penalties, who will start on pole at Monza?
