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Lando Norris led Italian Grand Prix practice at Monza, edging Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton followed, with Hamilton facing a grid penalty.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was the fastest in the final practice at the Italian Grand Prix (AP)
Lando Norris was the fastest in Saturday’s practice at the Italian Grand Prix, aiming to close in on championship leader Oscar Piastri.
McLaren’s Norris topped the charts at Monza with a time of one minute and 19.331 seconds, just 0.021 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who delighted home fans by setting his best time on his final lap.
Norris was 0.165 seconds ahead of his Australian teammate Piastri, who was third fastest and leads the drivers’ standings by 34 points before Sunday’s GP at the “Temple of Speed”.
Piastri’s lead over Norris is partly due to a mechanical failure that forced the Briton out of last weekend’s Dutch GP in the final laps.
Both Norris and Piastri recorded their fastest times after switching to soft tyres on a bone-dry circuit at Monza, where glorious sunshine and pleasant temperatures are forecast for the rest of the day, with qualifying starting at 1600 local time (1400 GMT).
Reigning four-time champion Max Verstappen was just behind Piastri and 0.167 seconds behind Norris, whose bad luck at Zandvoort allowed the Red Bull driver to take second spot on the podium.
How Did Max Verstappen & Lewis Hamilton Do At Monza?
Lewis Hamilton, who has had a tough first season with Ferrari, was 0.267 seconds off the pace.
“Need some more juice. Need some more speed somehow,” Hamilton was heard saying over the team radio.
The seven-time world champion hasn’t won a single GP or even claimed a podium finish with Ferrari, who will be supported by an army of fans all weekend.
Hamilton is 200 points behind Piastri and has a five-place grid penalty for this weekend after failing to slow down in a yellow flag zone on his way to the grid at the Dutch GP.
George Russell was fifth for Mercedes ahead of Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto in sixth with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar eighth and Mercedes’s Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli ninth.
Alex Albon completed the top 10 for Williams.
(With inputs from Agencies)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
September 06, 2025, 17:46 is
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