Ferrari’s hopes of taking pole position at its home Italian Grand Prix suffered a setback on Saturday after Charles Leclerc qualified fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth at Monza.
Both Ferrari drivers struggled during Q2, with Hamilton only making it through to the final session by 0.001 seconds ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Leclerc also narrowly survived, qualifying ninth in Q2.
Ferrari then improved in Q3, but neither driver could challenge Pierre Gasly, who stunned the field by taking pole for Alpine. George Russell qualified second, while Oscar Piastri initially took third.
Hamilton was particularly frustrated with Ferrari’s execution. The seven-time world champion said the team became too focused on trying to give both drivers an equal slipstream, which left them with limited opportunities to set competitive laps.
There is, however, some good news for Ferrari. Piastri’s three-place grid penalty means Leclerc will move up to third and Hamilton to fourth for Sunday’s race.
Ferrari had shown strong pace earlier in the weekend. Leclerc led Hamilton in Friday’s first practice session, while Leclerc also finished second behind George Russell in FP2.
🔴 Ferrari’s starting positions
3rd — Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨
4th — Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧
The Italian Grand Prix takes place at Monza on Sunday, September 6.
Leave a Reply