Overview

• Lando Norris set the fastest time in FP3 at Imola with a 1:14.897 lap, narrowly beating teammate Oscar Piastri by one-tenth of a second.
• McLaren's mid-season upgrades have solidified a four- to six-tenths advantage over rivals in both qualifying and long-run pace, emphasizing their tyre management superiority.
• Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes introduced significant upgrades at Imola, but none have yet closed the performance gap to McLaren.
• Imola's technical layout and overtaking challenges place heightened importance on qualifying, with grid position likely to dictate race outcomes.
• Helmut Marko suggested Red Bull's slower long-run pace may be partially due to higher fuel loads, but McLaren's tyre efficiency remains a key differentiator.