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Total-Motorsport.com explores how George Russell managed to pip Lewis Hamilton in FP3 as the Mercedes driver beat the Ferrari star as their fight intensifies hours before Qualifying. The 28-year-old Russell delivered a 1:22.219 to edge out his former teammate as the seven-time Formula 1 world champion slotted into second, with Max Verstappen rounding out the Top 3. The result confirmed what everyone expected heading to the Italian GP weekend: That the Silver Arrows are the team to beat at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza with Ferrari close behind. And it could be a weekend with significant ramifications for the title fight in the 2026 F1 season with Kimi Antonelli carrying a grid drop penalty for a new power unit, sending him to the back of the field. He holds a slim 59-point lead behind Britain’s Russell and the 41-year-old Hamilton whilst McLaren’s Lando Norris is in good form and 83 points behind, threatening to break the championship open. For both Ferrari and Mercedes, winning the Italian GP is not only a chance to win one of the most prestigious races of the season with the greatest podium in motorsport, it could bring their title aspirations to life. More from the Italian GP Get ready for the Italian GP with Total Motorsport’s latest Monza coverage, including Kimi Antonelli’s double power unit penalty, the full weekend schedule, Monza records and track guide, the latest weather forecast, and where to watch every session. So with that in mind, how did Russell beat Hamilton in FP3 as Mercedes vs Ferrari intensifies before Qualifying with both drivers chasing glory at the Italian GP? Qualifying begins at 16:00 CEST (local time) on Saturday, September 5 in Monza, with Total-Motorsport.com providing live coverage as well as build-up and reaction. How did Russell beat Hamilton in FP3? The Autodromo Nazionale Monza might be fast in terms of time thanks to just 11 corners and full throttle for 76% of the lap, but the actual length of the circuit is quite long at 5.793km/3.6 miles. That means managing the battery for peak deployment on those long straights should be the secret to pole position, as sending it through the corners is less beneficial compared to somewhere like Hungary’s Hungaroring. And with Russell working out at 0.226 quicker around the lap, that breaks down to 0.020 through the corners so how close is Hamilton to pipping the Mercedes as he aims for a historic pole for Ferrari? Glancing at telemetry, the one thing that stands out is that the Silver Arrows’ hopeful actually had to deal with more clipping, accounting for 10% of his fastest Free Practice 3 lap versus 9.8% for Hamilton. That suggests the new power unit brought to Monza by the Scuderia may be working well and may have eliminated their main weakness compared to the W17 – but it could also suggest a higher power mode was used. Hamilton spends 64.2% of the lap at full throttle and a further 14% at partial throttle, slightly higher than Russell on both accounts (62.%/13.3%) suggesting he is more aggressive with his driving. And it yields him a higher top speed of 337km/h and a higher minimum speed of 71km/h compared to 335km/h and 67km/h for his rival, although top speed could be influenced by the slipstream effect. However, Russell has a higher average speed by just one kilometre per hour at 252km/h, and that helped him go faster through Sector 2 and Sector 3 on his way to heading to the top of the times. It’s also worth noting that his soft tyres were two laps older. Glancing into more detail, the 106-time Grand Prix winner begins his lap faster by 0.058s hinting at more deployment on the exit of the Parabolica (Turn 11) but he loses the advantage under braking into Turn 1. There, Mercedes finds a tenth but Russell is slow at the exit of the corner as he loses 0.360s, likely through differing battery management as he is then much faster through the Curva Grande and into Turn 4, gaining 0.370s. Hamilton is then faster through Turn 5, expected thanks to the impressive chassis and aerodynamics of the SF-26, where he manages to gain 0.090s but is then more tentative into Lesmo 1 as he exactly loses the gained advantage. Ferrari is then very quick through the exit of Lesmo 1 and into Lesmo 2 where their star driver finds 0.270s over the Silver Arrows – but this again appears to be a differing deployment method. Russell dominates the straight into Ascari and through the complex to the exit of the corner, managing to find over half-a-second in lap time as the Kings-Lynn born racer gains 0.550s. From the exit of Turn 10 to Turn 11, Hamilton is faster once again as he gains 0.170s but he loses out through the Parabolica, where the Mercedes is 0.240s quicker through the high-speed corner. Given the strength of the Ferrari package in terms of aerodynamics, this is a little unusual and could hint that Russell’s qualifying strategy is to dump his battery through the corner and pay the price on the exit. That could be the case as Hamilton then gains 0.156s on the short run to the line, indicating the W17’s power unit had ran out of juice, and that is how Russell beat Ferrari in FP3. Now, can the Scuderia strike back to send the Tifosi into jubilation?