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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes pole position after an intense qualifying session at the Italian Grand Prix
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes pole position after an intense qualifying session at the Italian Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc pipped Max Verstappen to take pole for Ferrari at the Italian team’s home Grand Prix at Monza.
Grid penalties for world championship leader Verstappen and Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, the only realistic challengers for pole, meant the Monegasque was all but certain to start from in front, but he set the fastest time in the classification to the delight of the Tifosi. .
Verstappen will receive a five-place grid penalty, but it remains unclear where that will leave him on Sunday’s grid, with penalties also due to be implemented for other drivers who qualified behind him.
“Today is good, but now we have to repeat it tomorrow, tomorrow is the critical today, but the feeling is very good, we just have to put everything in and not make any mistakes,” said Leclerc.
“Honestly, I’m pretty sure we have a really good race pace. They (Red Bull) have a different set-up and higher downforce, but I’m pretty sure we can make it work.”
Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was fourth on the time table but faces a 10-place grid penalty, while Lewis Hamilton was fifth but will be relegated to the rear of the grid, along with Sainz, after picking up a full complement of new ones. engine parts
That means Leclerc will be joined on the front row by Mercedes’ George Russell, who was sixth in the standings.
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Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok looks at Leclerc and Max Verstappen’s qualifying laps ahead of the Italian GP
Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok looks at Leclerc and Max Verstappen’s qualifying laps ahead of the Italian GP
Lando Norris moves up to third, while his McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo is also set for a high starting position.
Nyck de Vries impressed on his F1 qualifying debut when he filled in for Alex Albon in a Williams, who was ruled out of the weekend earlier with appendicitis.
The Mercedes reserve driver, who is hoping to secure a permanent seat on the grid next season, edged out team-mate Nicholas Latifi to advance to Q2, and looked an outside chance of making Q3.
- Max Verstappen – 5 places
- Esteban Ocon – 5 places
- Sergio Perez – 10 places
- Valtteri Bottas – 15 places
- Mick Schumacher- 15 places
- Kevin Magnussen- 15 places
- Yuki Tsunoda – back of the grill
- Lewis Hamilton – behind the grid
- Carlos Sainz – behind the grid
The sport continued to honor Queen Elizabeth II, with several cars bearing visual tributes. All pit lane teams observed a minute’s silence before Friday’s first practice session, with more tributes expected ahead of Sunday’s race.
The paddock is awaiting a provisional grid from the FIA, but Sky Sports F1’s David Croft has predicted how he expects it to look once all the penalties have been applied.
David Croft Italian GP provisional starting grid:
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Sky Sports F1’s David Croft explains how driver grid penalties could affect the final grid for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix
Sky Sports F1’s David Croft explains how driver grid penalties could affect the final grid for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix
1) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 2) George Russell (Mercedes) 3) Lando Norris (McLaren) 4) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)*5) Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 6) Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) 7) Fernando Alonso ( Alpine)8) Nyck de Vries (Williams)9) Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)10) Sergio Perez (Red Bull)*11) Nicholas Latifi (Williams)12) Esteban Ocon (Alpine)*13) Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 14) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)15) Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)*16) Kevin Magnussen (Haas)*17) Mick Schumacher (Haas)*18) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)*19) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)*20 ) Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)*
* A grid penalty has been applied
Leclerc gives Ferrari hope of Monza momentum
Practice had made it clear that the competition for fastest time was between Leclerc, Verstappen and Sainz, with each of the three having topped one of the three sessions.
Red Bull’s Verstappen appeared to have established himself as the clear favorite to top the timesheets when he comfortably edged out Leclerc in Saturday’s final practice.
With Verstappen and Sainz facing penalties, there was much speculation as to whether the teams would use the demoted drivers to provide tows for their teammates during qualifying.
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Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok joins Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the SkyPad to analyze his pole lap at Monza.
Sky F1’s Karun Chandhok joins Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the SkyPad to analyze his pole lap at Monza.
Both teams seemed to decide this tactic wasn’t necessary, with Sainz surprisingly receiving a tow from Leclerc in his first run in the final part of qualifying.
Ultimately it didn’t matter as Leclerc saved the best for last, edging out Verstappen by 0.145s to ensure the world championship leader starts one place further back on the grid after the his penalty.
While Verstappen appears to be out of Leclerc’s reach, who is tied for second in the standings with Perez 109 points behind the Dutchman with seven races remaining, a win at Monza would be hugely important for Ferrari.
After a series of reliability issues and strategic mistakes, pressure is on for Ferrari to deliver against the Tifosi, and a win would certainly ease the mounting pressure on team principal Mattia Binotto.
Mercedes holds McLaren | De Vries impresses on debut
Mercedes had been off the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari all weekend but were crucially able to provide enough pace to overtake McLaren and secure Russell a front row start.
Hamilton faces a tough challenge to get through the field from 19th on the grid, as the Mercedes’ lack of straight-line speed has the potential to make it particularly difficult to get past potential DRS car trains.
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Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reflect on their performances in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reflect on their performances in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
Norris maintained his consistent excellence to finish behind the Mercedes in seventh and is rewarded with a third-place start, while outgoing McLaren driver Ricciardo will be delighted to have kept in touch with his team-mate team at the track where the Australian won for the team. One year ago.
De Vries, who rushed into Albon’s car shortly before final practice on Saturday, excelled in what is likely to be his best chance to present himself to drive full-time in F1 next year .
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Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reflect on their performances in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reflect on their performances in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Dutchman, who is a former Formula E and Formula 2 champion, closed the gap on Williams team-mate Latifi in practice before overtaking him in qualifying.
Further back, there was further disappointment for Aston Martin on Saturday, which saw Sebastian…