Max Verstappen qualified on pole for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but he was pushed all the way by the upgraded McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The paid of papaya cars - now with matching upgrades after they were added to Piastri's car this weekend - finished less than a tenth of a second behind the reigning world champion, who was audibly relieved in his post-session radio message to his team.
Both VCARB drivers qualified in the top 10 for Sunday's race, a rare occurrence but one in line with the team continuing to improve in recent weeks, with Yuki Tsunoda even beating Lewis Hamilton.