MONZA, Italy – Lewis Hamilton had the fastest time in the final practice session at the Italian Grand Prix, edging out championship leader Fernando Alonso by one thousandth of a second.
As speculation about his future and a possible switch to Mercedes continued, Hamilton posted a time of 1 minute, 24.578 seconds in perfect conditions at Monza on Saturday.
Alonso put Friday's problems behind him and delivered a strong performance, but was beaten by a flying lap from the McLaren driver, 5 minutes from the end of the session.
Paul Di Resta was third, but his chances of a points finish on Sunday took a blow after he was handed a five-place grid penalty because of a gearbox change.
A gearbox is supposed to last five consecutive races under FIA regulations.
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