Lando Norris dominated the final practice session before qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix, setting the pace ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Oscar Piastri.
The McLaren driver’s blistering lap put him firmly in control as teams made their final preparations for Saturday’s crucial qualifying session at Monza.
McLaren showed their hand early in the session. Norris waited outside his car while Piastri took to the track immediately, clearly eager to make up for lost time after missing Friday’s first practice when he handed his car to junior driver Alex Dunne.
Yuki Tsunoda briefly topped the timesheets in the opening minutes, running on hard tires alongside Piastri.
That didn’t last long.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton quickly moved to the front, showcasing the tight battle expected between Red Bull, Mercedes, and McLaren this weekend.
Young guns Isack Hadjar and Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed by slotting their cars between Tsunoda and Piastri as the session intensified. Carlos Sainz, Norris and Fernando Alonso rounded out the early top ten before Leclerc bumped Hamilton down to third.
Verstappen then flexed his muscles, breaking into the 1:19s with a 1:19.668 – opening up a gap of more than three-tenths to the chasing pack.
The midfield battle heated up as Alexander Albon and George Russell leapfrogged Nico Hulkenberg, who had briefly held third. Hamilton wasn’t to be outdone, reclaiming his position just behind teammate Leclerc.
Everything changed when McLaren switched to the soft tires.
Norris immediately went more than three-tenths faster than Verstappen’s benchmark, with Piastri slotting into second, albeit two-tenths behind his teammate. The McLaren pair’s pace raised eyebrows up and down the pit lane.
In a surprising turn, rookies Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto briefly claimed third and fourth spots ahead of Verstappen – showing just how competitive the field has become.
The final minutes saw a flurry of improvements. Russell climbed to fourth, while Hamilton and Leclerc found themselves pushed down to eighth and tenth respectively.
Verstappen mounted a late challenge to split the McLarens, taking second place just 0.182s behind Norris. But Piastri wasn’t done, edging back ahead of the championship leader to secure a McLaren 1-2.
Russell, Bortoleto, Hamilton, Hadjar, Hulkenberg, Leclerc and Albon completed the top ten as the checkered flag fell.
With qualifying just hours away, McLaren’s pace suggests they might be the team to beat at the Temple of Speed.
