F1 Imola GP: Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri ahead of qualifying
Summary
Lando Norris topped FP3 at Imola, ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen was third, struggling to improve on soft tires. Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed in fourth for Mercedes.
Lando Norris led Oscar Piastri in the third practice session for the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, maintaining McLaren's strong performance.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished third in the session, which saw soaring track temperatures.
The Session Unfolds:
- Initially, Lewis Hamilton, Piastri, Verstappen, and Isack Hadjar took turns at the top.
- Verstappen set the pace on medium tires with a 1m15.078s around the halfway point.
- Teams then transitioned to soft tires for qualifying simulations.
McLaren Dominance on Softs:
- Norris was the first to break the 1m15s barrier on softs, posting a 1m14.897s.
- His subsequent fast lap was aborted due to a run wide at Tamburello.
- Piastri secured second, just one tenth behind Norris with a 1m14.997s.
- Verstappen struggled to improve on his medium tire pace with the softs, finishing 0.181s adrift of Norris.
The Rest of the Field:
- Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed in fourth for Mercedes.
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was fifth.
- Carlos Sainz delivered a strong performance for Williams in sixth.
- Hadjar (RB), George Russell (Mercedes), Alex Albon (Williams), and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) rounded out the top 10.
The session was largely incident-free, with Liam Lawson experiencing the only significant moment, a spin at Tamburello.
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