2025 Italian GP FP3: Norris Edges Leclerc as Quali Looms

Lando Norris fired a timely warning shot ahead of qualifying by topping the final practice session at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix, keeping McLaren firmly in the hunt against Ferrari on home soil. The Briton clocked a 1m 19.331s to lead Charles Leclerc by just 0.021s, with team mate Oscar Piastri third, as the top five were covered by less than two tenths in a nail-biting conclusion to FP3.

The session started quietly, with most drivers delaying meaningful runs for nearly 10 minutes before venturing out for installation laps and tyre scrubbing. Early times came on the hard compound, Yuki Tsunoda setting a 1m 20.775s before Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar switched to softs but fell short of the benchmark. Once the pace quickened, incidents began to creep in: Lewis Hamilton, carrying a five-place grid penalty into qualifying, ran wide at the Rettifilo chicane, joined by Norris, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Carlos Sainz as a tailwind caught out multiple drivers.

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The first major benchmark was set at the 20-minute mark, Max Verstappen putting his Red Bull top with a 1m 20.040s on the softs. Leclerc immediately shadowed him, just 0.014s back, before a wild snap of oversteer at Parabolica reminded Ferrari of the knife-edge balance they were working with. Verstappen improved again to a 1m 19.688s, but frustration followed when Esteban Ocon’s Haas baulked him during preparation laps.

Hamilton briefly surged to second with 25 minutes remaining on the mediums, Alex Albon impressing in third, but the decisive times came in the final quarter-hour. Norris delivered his session-topping lap, Piastri slotted into third just 0.165s back, and Verstappen held fourth by a mere 0.002s. Leclerc then rallied, brushing the gravel at Lesmo 2 before unleashing his best lap: purple in sector one, P2 overall, and only 0.021s adrift of Norris. George Russell squeezed into fifth, ensuring four teams in the top five and underlining just how tight this fight is becoming in the 2025 F1 World Championship.

Behind the leading pack, Bortoleto starred in sixth for Kick Sauber, ahead of Hamilton, Hadjar, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, and Albon in the Williams to round out the top 10. Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Sainz, Franco Colapinto and Tsunoda filled P11–P15, while Liam Lawson ended 16th after floor repairs delayed his running. Haas rookie Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Ocon completed the order.

2025 Italian GP FP3 Results

2025 Italian Grand Prix FP3, 6 September 2025