Free Practice 3 Monza, Ferrari chases Russell
The third free practice session of the Italian Grand Prix has begun to lift some veil on the balances of Monza, especially regarding the use of power and energy throughout the lap. As always, some caution is needed in interpreting Saturday morning data, but the clearest impression is that Mercedes has made a decisive step forward compared to Friday, finally showing an important part of its potential.
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Mercedes raises the engine, Russell becomes the benchmark
The performance leap of the W17 appeared particularly evident on the straights. Compared to what was seen yesterday, George Russell now manages to build a significant advantage especially in full-throttle sections, gaining about four tenths on Ferrari up to Ascari, without benefiting from a significant slipstream.
It is probably the clearest sign of an increase in power used by Mercedes, which makes Russell, at least on paper, the main favorite for pole position.
Also interesting was what happened in an attempt where the Englishman was able to use Antonelli’s slipstream up to Roggia. The advantage on the straights with the slipstream was evident, but our data shows that Russell loses a lot on braking at the First Chicane, almost nullifying the attempt. It is difficult to determine from the data whether this was simply an error due to higher entry speed or if the proximity of the car ahead aerodynamically disturbed the Mercedes precisely at the moment of braking, but it is nonetheless a small example of how the slipstream game can give and take away if not executed perfectly.
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Ferrari defends in braking, Verstappen enters the fight
For Ferrari, the engine comparison has therefore become less favorable compared to Friday, but the SF-26 continues to show some interesting characteristics. Hamilton, in particular, is very strong at the First Chicane, where he manages to recover a significant part of the time lost on the straights. Lewis also benefits from Norris’s slipstream in the last part of the lap, thus essentially managing to even the score with Russell between Ascari and Parabolica. Without that great performance in the first braking, however, his lap would probably have been significantly further from the Mercedes benchmark. As expected, the Red Bull of Verstappen has also grown. The Milton Keynes car shows good speed on the straight and Max seems to have the tools to join the battle immediately behind Russell.
McLaren: the last sector destroys the lap
The most peculiar situation remains that of McLaren. Norris is competitive practically up to Ascari, but from that point on an obvious problem emerges in energy management. The MCL40 reaches its power limit about 15 km/h earlier than Ferrari and Mercedes and in the section between Ascari and Parabolica Norris loses about three tenths. An enormous amount on a track like Monza, enough to nullify much of what was built in the rest of the lap.
Russell favorite, but watch out for the slipstream game
The feeling on the eve of qualifying is therefore that Russell is favored for pole, with Verstappen and the Ferraris probably called to fight for the spot next to Mercedes on the front row. McLaren instead seems to have an important technical obstacle to overcome in the last sector. But in Monza there is also another far from secondary variable: the pandemonium of slipstreams. What was seen in the third practice seemed like the prelude to a probable chaos that could upset all balances and bring more than a few surprises. It will not be easy for teams and drivers to manage the situation, nor eventually for the Federation to make decisions on borderline situations that will likely arise. We will see what happens and what starting grid will come out of Monza qualifying.
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