Mercedes emerged as a serious threat in FP3 at the Italian GP, with George Russell delivering an impressive performance around Monza. The significant power upgrade on the W17 makes Russell a strong favorite for pole position. Ferrari and Max Verstappen are expected to put up a fierce fight in qualifying.
Mercedes Dominance on the Straights
FP3 telemetry data revealed Mercedes' clear advantage on the straights. Russell was able to build a time gap of up to four tenths of a second over Ferrari before the Ascari chicane, even without the aid of a slipstream. This is a strong signal that the German manufacturer has significantly increased their engine output since Friday.
However, Russell's attempt to use the slipstream from his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, did not go smoothly. He lost a lot of time at the first corner, nearly negating the benefit. This incident highlights how difficult it is to balance straight-line speed with precise braking at Monza.
Ferrari and Verstappen Ready to Threaten
Ferrari showed solid resilience, with Lewis Hamilton particularly strong at the first corner, able to recover most of the time lost on the straights. Hamilton also benefited from Norris's slipstream in the final part of the lap, making his time competitive. However, without that strong performance in the first corner, his gap to Mercedes would likely have been larger.
Red Bull also showed improvement. Verstappen has good straight-line speed and appears ready to fight for the front row, just behind Russell. McLaren, on the other hand, is struggling in the final sector, losing significant time and potential to compete at the sharp end.
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