The Monegasque signs his eighth pole position, ahead of Verstappen and Sainz, who will start late due to penalties.
Anything can be expected from Ferrari at the Italian GP. It has happened so many times, for better and for worse, that this pole of charles leclerc It must not have surprised even one of the more than 105,000 tifosi huddled together in Monza. The return of the Monegasque (1:20.161) unleashed a torrent of illusion, although he himself was the first to calm down. “Tomorrow, guys, tomorrow,” he warned over the radio after beating 14 hundredths of Max Verstappen and 26 to Carlos Sainz. This is his eighth pole of the year, although the last five, for one reason or another, have not been able to convert them into victory.
Before other considerations, it should be clarified that Verstappen, still a favorite for victory, will start from sixth place due to a penalty. And that Sainz’s podium options are severely compromised for the same reason. Madrid was condemned in advance to the bottom of the grid, just like Lewis Hamilton. Thus, Mercedes’ most plausible bet corresponds to George Russellwho will share the front line with Leclerc.
Having served these data, give way to the euphoria of the Ferrari fans, who have suffered quite a bit in the last three months. When nobody had the speed of the SF-75 on these straights, Leclerc put together a fantastic lap, out of reach for Red Bull. Now it remains to be seen if in the long runs, the red single-seater manages to hold up against the predictable attacks of the next champion.
Out of bounds at turn 7
Of course, the aerodynamic innovations introduced by Mattia Binotto They have fit in Monza. Sainz also attests to this, who also led Q3 after the first attempt (1:20.584), with 18 hundredths of a second over Leclerc and 27 over Verstappen. Even in Q2 Madrid stamped his signature (1:20.878) with three tenths over Verstappen and Leclerc, victim of a scare in the Ascari Variation. He sure would have loved one. pole symbolic, but the Monegasque tends to sharpen the toe better at the right moment.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, this time we must place Fernando Alonso. Among the multitude of penalties, the two-time champion appeared with the legitimate right to fight even for pole, but this time he missed the shot. He had to abort the first attempt in Q3, reporting a lack of temperature in the tires, and was forced to return to the track too soon, with the consequent difficulty in finding a slipstream.
That last shot wasn’t even approved by the stewards. His 1:21.829, eighth time, was erased for running the limits at Turn 7. With so many punished around him, he will at least start sixth. “We lacked pace, so tomorrow our race will be defensive, with very fast cars behind us,” predicted the man from Oviedo.
An entertainer named De Vries
Stephen Ocon, with five places on the grid, did not meet what his Alpine demanded either. The Frenchman was out of Q3 by 68 thousandths after an attempt to improve was not very favorable for Alonso, ninth, surpassed by lando norris Y Daniel Ricciardo.
After these very difficult weeks, Alpine had wanted to close ranks and even Monza have approached Luca de MeoCEO of the Renault Group, laurent rossihead of the F1 division and Alain Prost, whose goodbye as non-executive director raised quite a storm. No one should feel satisfied by what they saw this Saturday.
By way of closing, a refreshing surprise in the Mercedes ecosystem. Because the sudden indisposition of alexander albin give a chance to Nyck de Vries, who this same Friday had donned the green Aston Martin jumpsuit during the first free session. The Dutchman, who had already tested with the Silver Arrows at Paul Ricard, responded to Williams’ confidence by reaching Q2, with two hundredths of a margin over Nicholas Latifi.
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