McLaren leads in FP3, although Perez’s accident raises doubts about the overall standings.

As we approach qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, it is difficult to assess the teams’ true form due to Sergio Perez’s accident during final practice at Imola. However, it appears that three teams are fighting for pole position, with Red Bull having closed the gap since Friday. McLaren showed good pace, with Lando Norris going off the track in FP2 but recovering with a one-two in FP3. Oscar Piastri led the session, driving half a second faster than the next fastest non-McLaren driver. Unfortunately, Perez’s accident interrupted the qualifying simulation for the front runners, so we were unclear about their actual performance.

Norris managed to put in a decent lap after the red flag due to Perez’s accident and secure second place, just three tenths behind Piastri’s best time. Due to traffic and timing issues, the Ferraris and Max Verstappen were unable to set competitive laps. It’s not clear how they compare to each other, but Red Bull appears to have made improvements to its car after Verstappen’s difficult Friday. Verstappen and Norris were only separated by a tenth of a second in FP3 with the medium tire.

Carlos Sainz also showed improved performance with the updated Ferrari, setting faster laps than teammate Charles Leclerc on soft tyres in the first part of the session. The two drivers were separated by just 0.020 seconds in the final standings. George Russell managed to put the Mercedes in the top five with a fast lap on soft tyres before Perez’s accident. However, both Russell and Lewis Hamilton expressed concerns about the quality of the W15’s handling during FP3. They are more likely to face Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull and the Aston Martins in qualifying than challenge the top six.

Aston Martin’s performance is difficult to assess as both cars started the session on hard tires and Fernando Alonso had an accident before completing a lap on soft tires. Lance Stroll’s lap on the soft compound was decent, but almost a tenth slower than those of Alex Albon’s Williams and Esteban Ocon’s Alpine at a similar point in the session. Tsunoda showed impressive pace on the medium tires, suggesting he could be a contender in the fight for the top ten qualifying spots if his performance on the softer compound remains strong.

The battle for Q1 exit in the second group of five teams, including Williams, Alpine, Haas and Sauber, appears to be extremely close. Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas was less than a tenth behind Albon and Ocon’s time, and Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber was less than a second and a half behind.