Verstappen takes the lead in the final training session for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Max Verstappen took first place in the last free practice session before qualifying for the Grand Prix of Emilia RomagnaThe Dutchman was almost half a second away from the rest of the field.

The Red Bull Racing The driver will fight for the third pole position in a row on Saturday afternoon after finishing first in qualifying for the final race of 2020 Abu Dhabi and the first race of 2021 in Bahrain.

And he has seized his chances for a world of good by leaving the disappointment of missing most of Friday afternoon’s second session due to technical issues behind by setting the pace with a lap of 1: 14.958 and 0.456 Seconds ahead McLaren F1 Team‘s Lando Norris.

Norris was just over a tenth of a second faster than the reigning world champion and current championship leader Lewis Hamilton, with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team The racing driver ended up in third place, just before the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth in the session for Scuderia Ferrarishortly before Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda‘s Pierre GaslyBoth drivers have corners to sit on top of the time screens during the session. AlphaTauri will be pleased, however, as the Gasly’s best time was on the medium tire compared to its soft rival’s soft.

The second Ferrari from Carlos Sainz Jr. was seventh with Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes in eighth place, and the German team didn’t seem to be fast at this point of the weekend. If you know Mercedes, however, you have what it takes to recover and fight for pole position with both cars in qualifying.

The top ten completed the two Alpine F1 team Driver, with Fernando Alonso Be ahead of teammates Esteban Ocon late in the session by just 0.042 seconds. They both finished just before the second AlphaTauri from Yuki Tsunoda, with the Japanese racing driver just 0.002 seconds behind Ocon and 0.015 seconds ahead Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 team‘s Lance Stroll!

Daniel Ricciardo was only 0.008 seconds back on Stroll in the second McLaren, but found himself with Sebastian Vettel fourteenth in the second Aston Martin ahead Williams Racing‘s George Russell and Uralkali Haas F1 Team‘s Mick Schumacher.

Nicholas latifi He finished seventeenth, despite causing a red flag in the middle of the session when he went off and hit the barrier in the Villeneuve variant. Despite damage to his front wing, he was able to return to the pits and continue his session.

Antonio Giovinazzi suffered a late spin on the exit of the Tamburello chicane, but it was a difficult session for Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN since he could only make eighteenth, just ahead of his teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Nikita Mazepin brought the back of the field in the second Haas.

The route restrictions were a big issue again. Many drivers, including the pacemaker Verstappen, lost time because they had strayed from the track. It will be interesting to see how the track restrictions affect qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

3 free practice sessions