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Bottas takes a step in FP3
Valtteri Bottas has topped a timesheet that isn't FP1 for the first time in over four race weekends. Bottas being able to better Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by 0.350 as Hamilton was only P5.
The confused nature over whether or not this is everyone's true pace due to no more 'party modes' being able to be used on a Saturday and Sunday is apparent across the paddock.
Carlos Sainz placed his McLaren in P2 putting his car only 0.229 off of Bottas with Lando Norris only 0.323 off Bottas putting a great show for the Woking-based team. Daniel Ricciardo ended up P4 despite a mechanical issue late on causing him to stop on track. A great showing for the Renault power unit.
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Honda power still dark horse
Max Verstappen and Alex Albon placed their Red Bulls in P6 and P7 both within half a second of the top of the timesheet.
Interestingly neither got a clear run on the soft tyres with Verstappen having a messy last run and Albon running wide at Parabolica getting his time removed.
Behind is the surprisingly smaller midfield battle of the Racing Points, Alpha Tauris and again Charles Leclerc pulling his Ferrari Forward. All cars being ever so tight that they were all within 0.149 seconds of each other.
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Ferrari vs Williams continues
Again the top of this group is not topped by Sebastian Vettel but instead topped by the Haas of Romain Grosjean.
Behind is where it gets tighter again with Kevin Magnussen and Kimi Raikkonen edging out both Williams in their emotional last weekend as a family team.
After the last year, the Williams team had to be ahead of any cars is always an achievement. This session George Russell bettered Nicholas Latifi even without the FP1 running this weekend but more importantly ahead of Alfa Romeos Antonio Giovinazzi, the only home driver at this weekends Italian Grand Prix.
An intriguing final practice session before qualifying at the temple of speed.