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Here’s how third practice finished earlier on, Lando Norris leading the way:
As with any Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari are the star attraction. They have performed well so far in practice, with Charles Leclerc – who won here last year – second fastest in all three sessions. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first run yesterday. But as Giles Richards has been warning, they will find it tough to compete with McLaren this weekend:
All season Ferrari have been off the pace and Hamilton in particular is struggling as he adapts to a new team and car. It has been hard, at times volatile, as even he conceded this weekend in Monza, where he will take a five-place grid penalty from an infraction in Zandvoort but was at least honest about how both sides had perhaps been taken aback by the work their partnership required.
Gasly signs new Alpine deal
First, some news. Pierre Gasly has signed a contract extension with Alpine until the end of the 2028 season. The Renault-owned team stand last in the constructors’ standings after 15 of 24 rounds and the French driver has scored all of their 20 points so far, with a highest placing of sixth at Silverstone. A race winner, with victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri, the former F2 champion joined Alpine in 2023.
Preamble
And so, to Monza. The Italian Grand Prix is the last race of the F1 season to be held on European soil before its final eight fixtures elsewhere across the globe.
The dynamic of the drivers’ championship shifted quite dramatically last weekend in the Netherlands as Oscar Piastri opened up a 34-point lead over Lando Norris at the top of the standings. The Australian, who won his seventh race of 2025 in Zandvoort, has played down the significance of such a gap, which is the biggest it has been all season.
McLaren may not have long to wait to be crowned constructors’ champions – it is mathematically possible in Azerbaijan in two weeks – but a lot of the focus, of course, this weekend is on Ferrari.
Before qualifying gets under way in Monza in just under an hour’s time, let’s have your thoughts and predictions on this weekend and what the rest of the season might have in store. You can get in touch with me right here. Andiamo!
