The invention relates to a method for controlling and regulating the temperature of a metal strip in a finishing train of a hot rolling mill. A target function is formed by comparing a desired temperature gradient with an actual temperature gradient. The target function measures deviations from desired indications positioned in various places on the finishing train. The speed of the strip and the flow of the cooling agent are adjusted by predicting with the aid of a method of non-linear optimization with auxiliary conditions and are regulated and controlled online by solving a quadratic optimization problem with linear auxiliary conditions, preferably with the aid of an active set strategy.