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Russell Still the Man to Beat After Final Italian GP Practice

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Context piece
  • George Russell set the fastest time for Mercedes in final practice for the Italian Grand Prix, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton 0.226 seconds behind.
  • Championship leader Kimi Antonelli placed fourth but will start from the back because of engine penalties, giving his rivals an opportunity to reduce the gap.
  • Max Verstappen and Hamilton nearly collided late in the session, while all of the top 12 drivers finished within one second of Russell.

George Russell again set the pace at Monza, putting Mercedes fastest in final practice for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday. His best lap of 1 minute 22.219 seconds kept him ahead of former teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished second for Ferrari, 0.226 seconds slower.

The result strengthened Russell's position in a championship battle that remains tightly packed. He is second overall and level on points with Hamilton, but leads him 2-1 in race wins. Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, is chasing a record sixth Italian Grand Prix victory at the historic "Temple of Speed."

Russell's Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli was fourth fastest, behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Antonelli leads Russell and Hamilton by 59 points and is the first Italian in 73 years to lead the championship at the Monza race. However, an engine penalty will send him to the back of the grid, opening a major chance for his rivals to cut into his advantage.

He caused that

· Max VerstappenHe blamed Hamilton over team radio after their late incident at Parabolica.

Russell had also topped Friday's session, after Ferrari secured a one-two in the opening practice. McLaren's Lando Norris, the reigning world champion and winner of the past two races, was fifth, followed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Arvid Lindblad, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto completed the top 10.

The session ended with tension between Hamilton and Verstappen. Hamilton passed the Red Bull at Parabolica, but the Ferrari then ran wide, and stewards took note of the incident. "He caused that," Verstappen said over the radio. Hamilton replied, "I got blocked by Max." The top 12 were separated by less than a second.

I got blocked by Max

· Lewis HamiltonHe gave his account of the near-collision with Verstappen.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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