Monza FP3 Results: Russell Fastest, Traffic Chaos Looms for Qualifying
George Russell topped Friday's final practice at Monza with a 1:22.219, finishing 0.226 seconds clear of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen completed the top three, 0.350 seconds down. Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top six, with Arvid Lindblad, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto in the top ten.
FP3 Final Classification
George Russell topped FP3 at Monza with a 1m 22.219s, maintaining momentum after leading Friday's second practice. [1] Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari, 0.226 seconds back, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull at 0.350s down, Kimi Antonelli fourth at 0.361s, Lando Norris fifth at 0.406s, and Charles Leclerc sixth at 0.489s. [2]
Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto of Alpine completed the top ten. [1]
How It Unfolded
As the final 15 minutes ticked down, Antonelli, Russell, and Verstappen bolted on fresh soft tyres for their closing laps, leading to a flurry of quicker times on the board. [1] Hamilton climbed to second late on, finishing just over two tenths behind Russell; Verstappen improved significantly from Red Bull's difficult Friday, ending FP3 third, only 0.011s ahead of Antonelli. [3]
Traffic and Incidents
Traffic became a defining theme of FP3 and is likely to play a major role in qualifying. With Monza's long straights making the slipstream especially valuable, teams experimented with tow arrangements while drivers jostled for track position. [3]
Liam Lawson suffered a spin into the first chicane, reporting struggles with "the rear in low speed." [1] Oscar Piastri ended up eighth after Russell ruined his penultimate effort; Verstappen and Hamilton had an encounter in the dying moments, with the Dutchman dive-bombing Hamilton into Turn 1 after the Ferrari driver snuck by into the final corner before their last push laps. [2]
The two drivers were noted by the stewards for the episode but no further action was taken. [2] Williams utilised the power of the tow, with Albon towing Carlos Sainz in a move they hope to gain from during qualifying; both drivers will be investigated after the session for a yellow flag infringement. [1]
Practice Pace Is Indicative, Not Predictive
Related reading
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp3-russell-goes-fastest-from-hamilton-and-verstappen-in-final-italy-practice.6i9o4gazCqUo3UtLVRgoe8 https://racingnews365.com/2026-f1-italian-grand-prix-monza-free-practice-3-results https://www.total-motorsport.com/italian-gp-2026-fp3-results/
- [1]FP3: George Russell goes fastest from Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in final Italy practice (formula1). Accessed 2026-09-05.
- [2]2026 F1 Italian Grand Prix - Monza Free Practice 3 results (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-09-05.
- [3]F1 Italian GP: George Russell leads Lewis Hamilton in FP3 (motorsport-dot-com). Accessed 2026-09-05.
- [4]Monza FP3 results: full Italian Grand Prix practice classification (scuderiafans). Accessed 2026-09-05.
- [5]2026 Italian GP FP3: Russell Fastest Ahead of Hamilton (f1-fansite). Accessed 2026-09-05.
- [6]FP3 Results Today: Italian GP 2026 Practice 3 Times (total-motorsport). Accessed 2026-09-05.