Italian GP: Lewis Hamilton leads Sebastian Vettel in FP3
Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton finished quickest in final practice for the Italian Grand Prix, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel his closest challenger at Monza
The reigning F1 world champion clocked a 1m24.544s on soft tyres to finish 0.264s clear of Vettel with the other Mercedes of Nico Rosberg three tenths off the pace in the third.
The track was damp from overnight rain early on, with only a few drivers choosing to venture out on intermediates.
But the sun broke through and the circuit dried quickly, with drivers switching to the medium tyres halfway through the session.
Vettel was the early pacesetter, clocking a succession of quick laps with a best of 1m25.799s, 1.3s ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
Mercedes, meanwhile, kept its powder dry until the final 10 minutes of the session, when Rosberg went quickest with a 1m25.480s.
Hamilton's first effort was good enough for fifth and though he set the fastest first and second sectors, he chose to pit for soft tyres rather than complete the lap.
Attention then turned to qualifying-simulation soft-tyre runs, with Raikkonen going second quickest, 0.032s slower than Rosberg's medium-shod time.
Rosberg improved when he put the softs on, but he was then bumped down by Vettel and Hamilton in the final two minutes of the session.
Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were fourth and fifth respectively ahead of Pastor Maldonado, who like Lotus team-mate Romain Grosjean, didn't set a laptime until the final 10 minutes of the session.
Raikkonen ended up seventh with Force India's Sergio Perez, Sauber's Marcus Ericsson and Grosjean completing the top 10.
McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, who will start towards the back of the grid after taking new engines this weekend, were 13th and 14th respectively, ahead of Manor's Will Stevens.
Daniel Ricciardo parked his Red Bull at the second chicane midway though the session, suffering what is understood to be an engine failure on a brand new unit.
Ricciardo ended up 20th, with his team-mate Daniil Kvyat spending a large part of the session in the garage and finishing 17th.
FP3 RESULTS
Pos | Driver | Car | Gap | Laps |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m24.544s | 18 |
2 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 0.264s | 12 |
3 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 0.299s | 19 |
4 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams/Mercedes | 0.402s | 14 |
5 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 0.621s | 14 |
6 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus/Mercedes | 0.698s | 11 |
7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 0.700s | 13 |
8 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 0.971s | 14 |
9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1.148s | 17 |
10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus/Mercedes | 1.203s | 8 |
11 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber/Ferrari | 1.368s | 17 |
12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India/Mercedes | 1.597s | 13 |
13 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren/Honda | 2.088s | 9 |
14 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 2.206s | 14 |
15 | Will Stevens | Marussia/Ferrari | 3.579s | 13 |
16 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso/Renault | 3.671s | 25 |
17 | Daniil Kvyat | Red Bull/Renault | 4.047s | 10 |
18 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Toro Rosso/Renault | 4.084s | 23 |
19 | Roberto Merhi | Marussia/Ferrari | 4.573s | 11 |
20 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 5.356s | 7 |
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