Lando Norris tops FP3 in Imola as drivers struggle with new soft tyre

F1 Imola GP - FP3 Live Commentary Summary

Session End: The session concludes with Lando Norris topping the timesheets, followed by teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. Only 0.181s separated the top three, setting the stage for an electric qualifying session.

Key Observations:

• The new C6 soft compound did not appear to deliver the expected performance boost compared to the C5 medium.
• Many drivers made mistakes while pushing, indicating the track's difficulty and potentially challenging conditions.
• Pirelli's plan to introduce 'gaps' between compounds is undergoing a critical test this weekend.

Driver Highlights & Issues:

• Lando Norris: Topped the session with a 1m14.897s. Had a moment where he went off at Tamburello on a later lap.
• Oscar Piastri: Finished P2, just 0.100s off Norris. Had a 'scruffy lap' at one point.
• Max Verstappen: Finished P3. Made a mistake and aborted a flying lap after setting a purple first sector.
• Andrea Kimi Antonelli: Finished P4, significantly quicker than his teammate Hamilton.
• Lewis Hamilton: Finished P10, nearly four tenths off teammate Antonelli, and struggled with the car, including kicking up dust and complaining about bouncing.
• Yuki Tsunoda: Complained of "zero grip" on his soft tire run, finishing P17.
• Liam Lawson: Had a large moment at Tamburello, resulting in flat-spotted tires.
• George Russell: Struggled with Tamburello and Variante Alta, aborting laps and complaining about bouncing.

Pirelli & Tire Performance:

• Drivers widely reported a lack of pace on the softs.
• Pirelli lowered minimum tire pressures overnight, possibly trying to find performance.

Session Flow:

• Early laps saw medium tire runs, with Hadjar, Leclerc, and Verstappen trading fastest times.
• Qualifying simulations on softs kicked off later in the session, leading to the fastest times but also numerous errors.

Quotes:

• Tsunoda on softs: "Zero grip".
• Russell on mediums: Complained about bouncing.

This session provides crucial data and hints at a tightly contested qualifying and race, particularly given the unexpected tire performance dynamics.