By Camille Lebez Leroy
The final hour of practice in Monaco started with Lewis Hamilton leading the field out on fresh soft tyres, with teams expected to spend most of the session on the red-walled compound ahead of qualifying.
Before FP3 got underway, McLaren confirmed it had broken curfew overnight to fix the issue that sidelined Lando Norris in FP2, replacing both the wiring harness and ESME pack. Cadillac also broke curfew after Sergio Perez’s brake fire on Friday. Early in the session, Valtteri Bottas reported smoke from his brakes but managed to return to the pits without causing a stoppage.
Hamilton initially set the pace with a 1m14.390s lap, but the times quickly improved as the track gained grip. Charles Leclerc moved to the top before Andrea Kimi Antonelli produced an impressive lap to go nearly four tenths faster than the Ferrari driver.
Traffic quickly became a major issue, with several drivers frustrated by slow-moving cars. Antonelli even had to abandon a promising lap because of traffic. Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar continued rebuilding confidence after his FP1 crash, while Audi once again showed strong pace with both Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg running inside the top ten.
McLaren looked slightly off the pace compared to the leading teams, with Oscar Piastri fourth and Norris seventh at one stage as he continued to make up for lost track time. Zak Brown admitted that a second-row start would be a good result for the team.
As the session entered its final stages, drivers switched to fresh soft tyres for qualifying simulations. Antonelli delivered a 1m 12.720s lap to remain fastest, with Leclerc and Hamilton unable to match the Mercedes driver despite their best efforts.
The session was then interrupted when Oliver Bearman crashed at Massenet after losing the rear of his Haas. The driver was unharmed, and although the car suffered damage, the team hopes to have it repaired in time for qualifying.
When the chequered flag waved, few drivers improved on their final laps. Antonelli finished FP3 on top by three tenths of a second, underlining Mercedes’ overnight progress. Leclerc ended the session second despite ongoing brake issues, while Hamilton completed the top three ahead of George Russell and Max Verstappen.
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