The third and last free practice at the Monza circuit in Italy is over. Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time with a lap of 1: 20.089. The second and third time were surprisingly enough for it Carlos Sainz in Lando Norris from McLaren. Max Verstappen got no further than the sixth time.
The third practice session started under sunny conditions and at a temperature of about 26 degrees Celsius. A number of drivers immediately went out for an exploratory lap, including the two men from Alfa Romeo Racing. Still, no full lap times were clocked in the first fifteen minutes of practice. The first to do this was Carlos Sainz, who recorded a 1: 21.875 on the medium band. The Spaniard then sharpened his time by three tenths before the other drivers also started their first fast lap. Verstappen only started after more than twenty minutes out lap and was one of the last riders to appear on the track.
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Verstappen recorded his first lap time after about 25 minutes. The Red Bull driver drove a 1: 21.548 on the medium tire and was almost nine tenths slower than Hamilton, who was the first time at the time. However, the Briton had set his time on the red soft band. However, Verstappen quickly managed to improve on the yellow belt. The Dutchman put a 1: 20.456 on the clocks and took over the first time. Bee Ferrari it was difficult for the umpteenth time. With 25 minutes left on the clock, they held the thirteenth and seventeenth time.
In the final phase of the third free practice, the drivers began practicing a serious qualifying run. Bottas took over the first time from Verstappen on the soft band with a time of 1: 20.089, who was more than three tenths faster. Hamilton also dived on the soft tire under the time of Verstappen, but he only did so with a hundredth. Lando Norris also managed to settle at the top in the final phase, something he also did yesterday during the second free practice. The Briton recorded a second time, three and three tenths behind Bottas. Also Daniel Ricciardo shot to the top seats, but shortly after, his car stalled with a problem.
The session was halted until Ricciardo’s car was removed. This lasted until about three minutes before the end, so the teams did not know how quickly to send their drivers back on the road for a race against time. Everyone seemed to want to complete a qualification simulation one more time. It ultimately resulted in a surprising top three, with Bottas in first place, but Sainz and Norris in second and third place respectively. Verstappen eventually finished sixth, more than three tenths behind Bottas and one tenth for teammate Alexander Albon.
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