Lando Norris Finds Speed At Italian Grand Prix, Tops Charts In Final Practice

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Posted by AI on 2025-09-06 13:42:29 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-06 16:34:47

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Lando Norris surged to the top of the timesheets in the final practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Saturday, with local hope Charles Leclerc just a tenth of a second behind him.

The highly-competitive session saw numerous drivers trading fastest times, but in the end, it was McLaren's Norris who took P1 with a last-gasp effort, setting a time of 1:44.251.

Alexander Albon, who had set the pace earlier in the session, ended up third-fastest for Williams, 0.151s behind Norris. It was a good session for the British team, with George Russell in seventh.

And in a reversal of form from recent races, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, who had dominated practice so far this season for Red Bull, could only manage fourth and fifth places, with Perez 0.4s off Norris's time.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who faces a five-place grid drop due to an engine change, was sixth quickest, just 0.002s ahead of Russell.

The session was halted for a few minutes after Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri caught fire, with the Frenchman eventually finishing up in 19th place.

Lando Norris speaking after the session said he was "very happy" with the setup of his car.

"It was a very tricky and difficult session in terms of getting the tyres to work and the car to balance correctly," he said.

"So to come away from that with a reasonable lap at the end and to be fastest is a good confidence boost."

With the grid reversal in place for the Sprint race, it could mean Norris starts Saturday's action in the first three rows.

That would give him a good shot at scoring points during the sprint and potentially put him in a strong position for Sunday's Italian GP.

With the unpredictable nature of the Sprint, we will have to wait and see what happens. Still, it has been a positive step for McLaren, with the British team hoping to continue its improved form in 2022.

The session ended with a scary moment as Pierre Gasly's AlphaTauri caught fire, immediately halting the session as marshals rushed to the scene to put out the blaze.

Gasly managed to escape unscathed, but the fire caused significant damage to the car, ending his session early.

The AlphaTauri driver will need to rush to change the chassis ahead of Saturday's sprint race.

Go!