Oscar Piastri holds a positive outlook regarding McLaren’s prospects.
Under sustained pressure for the first time this season, Red Bull’s troubles continued in final practice at Imola with McLaren 1-2 ahead of the Ferrari team-mates.
While his teammate Sergio Perez caused a crash and triggered the red flags, Max Verstappen secured the sixth position.
Ferrari record practice hat-trick at Imola
In near-perfect conditions at the Imola circuit, Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari’s Tifosi even more to smile about as the five-time Grand Prix winner, in his upgraded SF-24, went quickest at the start of FP3 with a 1:16.2.
In the face of a formidable Max Verstappen, who easily overcame his Friday troubles, the Ferrari responded with even greater speed, clocking in at 1:16.0 and securing a lead of three-tenths over the Red Bull driver.
Sainz took over his teammate’s position in P1, setting a time of 1:16.067. Meanwhile, Verstappen, having resolved his issues from Friday and made a quick pit stop, exited the pits in his RB20. However, Alonso’s second run was cut short when he collided with the barrier at the last corner.
While driving offline at Rivazza, the driver of the Aston Martin encountered a loss of control as the rear end of his upgraded AMR24 slipped away. Consequently, the vehicle spun off the track and collided with the barrier.
Following a short interruption due to a red flag, the race resumed with Ferrari occupying the top two positions, with Sainz leading Leclerc. Notably, Oscar Piastri made an impressive leap to secure third place.
2024 team-mate wars ahead of Imola qualifying
F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates
F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
In the meantime, Verstappen, while not expressing any complaints as he did on Friday, secured the P4 position, trailing the P1 time by approximately two-tenths.
George Russell requested Mercedes to inspect his car as it was noticeably bouncing while approaching Turn 1. Similarly, his teammate Lewis Hamilton expressed dissatisfaction with the ride height of his W15, which was attributed to a tailwind.
Piastri, equipped with a brand-new set of soft Pirelli tires, managed to surpass his Ferrari teammates by recording a remarkable time of 1:15.529. The McLaren driver outperformed Sainz by a significant half-second lead.
As Sergio Perez approached the chicane after Acque Minerali, the session came to a halt with only five minutes remaining on the clock. His RB20 suffered a mishap as he mounted the kerb, causing the Mexican driver to lose control of his Red Bull. Unfortunately, he ended up crashing nose first into the barrier.
With slightly over two minutes remaining, the clock ticking down, a frenzy ensued as everyone hurried to complete one final flying lap…
Piastri claimed the top spot in FP3, surpassing Lando Norris and Sainz, thanks to traffic conditions. Unfortunately, Verstappen was unable to finish his final lap.
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2024: FP3 times
1 Oscar PIASTRI 1:15.529
2 Lando NORRIS +0.300
3 Carlos SAINZ +0.538
4 Charles LECLERC +0.558
5 George RUSSELL +0.566
6 Max VERSTAPPEN +0.837
7 Alexander ALBON +0.941
8 Esteban OCON +0.952
9 Lance STROLL +1.014
10 Nico HULKENBERG +1.018
11 Daniel RICCIARDO +1.031
12 Sergio PEREZ +1.102
13 Yuki TSUNODA +1.139
14 Valtteri BOTTAS +1.166
15 Logan SARGEANT +1.265
16 Kevin MAGNUSSEN +1.394
17 Lewis HAMILTON +1.431
18 Fernando ALONSO +1.810
19 Pierre GASLY +1.832
20 Guanyu ZHOU +2.362
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