Monza Testing – Day 3 – Hamilton Takes the Lead with Flair

Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets on the final day of testing at the Monza circuit in Italy.

The championship leader took over from his teammate Heikki Kovalainen at McLaren to conclude these three-day tests in preparation for the Italian Grand Prix. His best time was 1:22.967 with 97 laps completed.

The Briton recorded a time three-tenths of a second slower than that set by Nick Heidfeld yesterday, but he was the only one today to manage to complete a lap in one minute 22 seconds.

World champion Kimi Räikkönen finishes second for Scuderia Ferrari but nearly four-tenths behind Hamilton.

The Italian Giancarlo Fisichella finishes these tests on a high note and shows that Force India will hold on until the last second of this season. He is third with 114 laps completed.

Kazuki Nakajima in his Williams and David Coulthard in his Red Bull complete the top 5. The Scot was the most active man on the track today, with 120 laps under his belt.

In contrast, Robert Kubica’s BMW-Sauber only managed 57 laps due to an off-track excursion in the morning. Even though his car suffered little damage, the repair was lengthy and he could only return to the track after the lunch break. He finished 9th and in the standings, he is behind Alonso in 6th, Bourdais in 7th, and Glock in 8th position.

It’s Button’s Honda that brings up the rear.

Results of Private Testing Monza – Italy – Friday, August 29: