After an exhilarating Friday in Imola, which left us with many questions, the third and final free practice session before qualifying at 16pm is even more interesting. Yesterday offered numerous ideas during the FP1 e FP2, with an unprecedented scenario that suggests a close fight between Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren. The FP3 of the Imola GP will offer decisive indications for the afternoon qualifying sessions. Red Bull will try to solve the balance problems, which they have complained about so much Max Verstappen, while Ferrari and McLaren will aim to confirm the excellent sensations of Friday. Qualifying will be fundamental, considering the difficulties of overtaking on the Imola track. Let's see the summary of this morning.
A Difficult Friday for Red Bull
Red Bull experienced a complicated Friday, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in obvious difficulty. Verstappen suffered a significant delay compared to Charles Leclerc both in the qualifying simulations (almost half a second) and in the race pace (around one second per lap). The RB20 showed balance problems, alternating oversteer and understeer in an unpredictable way, especially in the stretch between Tosa and Acque Minerali. Verstappen's words, not happy with the behavior of the car, reflect the climate of uncertainty in the Milton Keynes team. Perez didn't have a better day, finishing FP1 in fourth place and FP2 in eighth, also risking a sanction for obstructing Leclerc during the second session. FP3 will therefore be crucial for the Austrian team to understand if the situation has improved compared to yesterday.
Ferrari in shape with Leclerc and Sainz, but McLaren is no different
For Ferrari, Friday was much more positive. Charles Leclerc dominated both free practice sessions, demonstrating a great feeling with the updated SF-24. The updates appear to have worked well, improving the overall performance of the car. Even Carlos Sainz, albeit with some difficulty, drew positive elements from the day, helping to confirm the effectiveness of the upgrades introduced. Leclerc, who has not won for almost two years, started the weekend on the right foot, raising home fans' hopes of a long-awaited victory. However, an obstacle on the path to victory could be represented by McLaren.
The English team confirmed their recent technical progress, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri showing remarkable consistency in the race pace simulations. The updated MCL38 demonstrated perfect balance, with increased aerodynamic efficiency allowing it to compete at the highest levels. In particular, Norris impressed with a very consistent set of laps, just a tenth slower on average than Leclerc's. This balance makes McLaren a serious contender for the top positions, something it has already shown it can do in Miami.
Mercedes on the rise
Mercedes also showed signs of improvement, with Lewis Hamilton highlighting a good performance in the second half of the lap. Although it is not yet at the level of Ferrari and McLaren, the Brackley team could enter the fight for the top positions, especially in qualifying.
What the FP3 of the Imola GP told us
However, let's see in detail what happened in this third and final free practice session in Imola. The first teams to take to the track are Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in front of his home crowd and the two Red Bulls. The Austrian team will have to start from scratch, looking for answers to yesterday's questions. Even today the choice of compounds between the two teams is different, Red Bull runs on the medium tyres, while Ferrari runs on the soft tyres. The reference with the soft is Leclerc, followed by Verstappen with the average at around a tenth. Remembering that yesterday Red Bull encountered more difficulties with the soft tyres.
15 minutes into the session more than half the grid is still in the pits. Meanwhile, McLaren mysteriously remains in the pits after a couple of out laps with both drivers. Norris finally comes out after 20 minutes with middle school. In Ferrari Sainz and Leclerc exchange positions maintaining the 1-2. At the first time, Norris placed himself in fourth place, immediately behind Max Verstappen, still on the mediums.
The session ends early for Fernando Alonso who, halfway through FP3 with the hard tire, comes heavily into the wall at the exit of the Rivazza. The Spaniard was still not at ease and this is the worst epilogue. It will be up to the mechanics to recover as much as possible in view of qualifying.
Upon returning from the red flag, Oscar Piastri finally took to the track and placed himself in third position with red tyres. Still with the mediums, the Red Bulls are testing their race pace, probably with different fuel loads than the Ferraris who showed a better race pace. The last minutes of FP3 in Imola are dedicated to the qualifying simulation. A simulation that not everyone is able to do, Piastri is in fact the only one to set a "clean" time in this very last phase, because Sergio Perez interrupts the session by putting his RB20 against the wall at Gresini. An accident that greatly penalizes Red Bull without many references to the red. In the final, only Norris managed to close the lap, closing in on Piastri, thus closing FP3 with a 1-2 for McLaren.
The top 10 of the FP3 of the Imola GP
- Piastres
- Norris
- Sainz
- Leclerc
- Russell
- Verstappen
- Albon
- Or with
- Stroll
- Hulkenberg
