The sun continued to shine over Imola as the F1 teams prepared for the final hour of FP3 ahead of the F1 2025 Imola GP Qualifying. With overtaking notoriously difficult at this circuit, grid position promised to play an even more critical role than usual.
McLaren set the early pace
Oscar Piastri had emerged as the benchmark on Friday, topping both sessions, though he admitted he had left time on the table. Imola’s kerbs remained punishing, and tyre degradation made it difficult to hook up a clean lap. Lando Norris, who chased Piastri closely throughout Friday, also made his share of mistakes, keeping the fight for pole wide open.
As FP3 began, McLaren opted for an early run, sending Norris out with flow-vis paint on his rear wing and hard tyres bolted on — a compound yet to be used over the weekend. After his out-lap, the track fell silent. Most teams held back, playing the usual waiting game with one-lap pace the clear priority.
Ferrari and Mercedes seek improvements
Lewis Hamilton, who had struggled with braking issues on Friday, emerged early on mediums to test Ferrari’s overnight changes. He clocked a 1m 16.983s as an opening benchmark. His team-mate Charles Leclerc, also vocal about braking concerns, didn’t appear to find much pace in the early laps.
With only a few drivers setting representative times, Hamilton lowered his mark to a 1m 15.866s — still over half a second adrift of Piastri’s FP2 best.
Red Bull bounce back, Hadjar shines
Max Verstappen, frustrated with balance issues the day before, looked more at ease. Red Bull seemed to have worked wonders overnight, aided by a shift in wind direction. Verstappen briefly topped the times with a 1m 15.579s, edging Norris by 0.077s and Piastri by 0.254s.
But it was Isack Hadjar who unexpectedly shot to the top, setting a 1m 15.508s. It marked a strong recovery after a costly spin ended his FP2 on Friday. Leclerc followed closely behind, just 0.021s off Hadjar’s pace.
Mercedes were among the last to send out their cars, with George Russell completing his first timed lap on mediums to slot into eighth. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who knew the circuit well having grown up in nearby Bologna, languished down in 15th and appeared uncomfortable throughout the session.
A tense moment occurred in the pit lane as Hadjar pulled aside for a practice start and came close to colliding with an oncoming Williams in the fast lane.
Soft tyres prove tricky
The soft tyres came into play midway through the session, but early runs proved scrappy. Both Verstappen and Piastri made errors, the latter dipping two wheels into the gravel. With his team-mates cooling down, Norris delivered a clean lap — despite a slow middle sector — and posted a 1m 14.897s to top the times.
Verstappen returned to the pits after his off-track excursion, while Yuki Tsunoda radioed in frustration, declaring he had “absolutely zero pace.” A former AlphaTauri regular, Tsunoda looked far from comfortable on familiar ground.
Piastri returned on his second flying lap and climbed to third, though he remained nearly four tenths off Norris. His tyres, already seven laps old, lacked peak performance, but the gap still raised eyebrows.
As the session wore on, it became clear the softs weren’t yielding much grip. Several drivers failed to improve, with overheating contributing to a loss of traction — particularly in the final corners. High kerbs added to the chaos, unsettling cars and pushing the limits of track control.
Antonelli rebounds, Russell unhappy
With ten minutes remaining, Antonelli finally found some rhythm, jumping to fourth — albeit still half a second behind Norris. The young Italian managed to outpace Russell by two-and-a-half tenths, though Russell himself seemed far from content. Ferrari, too, showed little improvement, hinting at a Qualifying session ripe for midfield surprises.
Piastri closed the gap late on, jumping to second with a strong lap after a brief pit stop to clear gravel from his floor. His time fell exactly one tenth short of Norris — an encouraging response given the tyre disadvantage.
The session ended with several drivers practicing starts. It had been a messy hour of running, with frequent visits to the gravel and even a spin from Liam Lawson. No driver came through unscathed, and confidence looked fragile across the board heading into Qualifying.
Medium tyres show promise ahead of Qualifying
Norris ultimately led the way with a 1m 14.897s — just over a tenth slower than last year’s pole — narrowly ahead of Piastri and Verstappen. Notably, four of the top 10 times came on medium tyres, a detail that could prove influential in strategy discussions later today.
Hamilton was the final driver to dip a wheel into the gravel through the penultimate corner — a reminder of how fine the margins were at this classic driver’s circuit. All signs pointed to an unpredictable and intense Qualifying session to come.
F1 Imola GP 2025 FP3 results
- Norris
- Piastri
- Verstappen
- Antonelli
- Leclerc
- Russell
- Albon
- Hamilton
- Alonso
- Bearman
- Stroll
- Lawson
- Gasly
- Bortoleto
- Tsunoda
- Colapinto
- Hülkenberg
- Ocon
