Lewis Hamilton struggles as Ferrari end four-year wait for Italian GP pole
Max Verstappen sent offer to quit Red Bull and join F1 rival keen to be his team-mate
Carlos Sainz managed to secure Ferrari’s first pole position at the Italian Grand Prix in four years ahead of Max Verstappen. The Spaniard left it late to pip his Red Bull rival to the honours, with Charles Leclerc coming home in third to cap off a thrilling qualifying session at Monza.
Verstappen, who is hoping to secure his 10th straight Grand Prix victory this weekend, initially looked to have grabbed pole when he pipped Leclerc at the end of Q3. Sainz was next across the line, though, and was able to get himself into top spot with a lap time of 1:20.294.
There were initial concerns over whether both Ferrari drivers would receive grid penalties after going too slowly on their out laps in the closing stages of Q1. No further action was taken by the stewards, though, allowing the celebrations to enter full flow in the stands at Monza.
It was a different story for Lewis Hamilton, who was off the pace throughout the entire session and was forced to settle for eighth. George Russell fared slightly better in the other Mercedes to secure his spot on the second row of the grid, with the 25-year-old coming home in fourth.
Relive Express Sport‘s live updates from qualifying below.
JUST IN: Max Verstappen hits out at Toto Wolff’s ‘bull****’ Red Bull comments[LATEST]
KEY EVENTS
Goodbye
That’s all we’ve got time for today.
Thanks for joining us to follow an eventful qualifying session at Monza ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
We’ll be back tomorrow for race day, with the five red lights set to go out at 2pm.
Catch you then!
Full results
Here’s a look at the final qualifying classification…
SAINZ GRABS POLE!
Carlos Sainz grabs pole at Monza to send the Ferrari fans wild!
Charles Leclerc had initially crossed the line in first before Max Verstappen pipped him a few seconds later.
All was not lost for Ferrari, though, with Sainz providing the goods in the dying seconds!
No further action will be taken against Ferrari by the stewards regarding what happened in Q1, meaning their pole will stand.
Sainz on provisional pole
Carlos Sainz sparks a huge cheer by setting the quickest lap of the day!
He is closely followed by Charles Leclerc in a Ferrari one-two, with Max Verstappen in third.
George Russell is fourth ahead of Alex Albon, Sergio Perez, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
Just over five minutes to go…
Q3 underway
The 10 remaining drivers emerge from the pits as the shootout for pole begins at Monza.
Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the last ones standing.
Will Ferrari be able to secure top spot at the Italian Grand Prix for the first time in four years? Only time will tell…
End of Q2
Max Verstappen goes quickest right at the end of Q2, with the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz just behind.
Lewis Hamilton successfully manages to get himself into the top 10 in sixth place, one position ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas and Logan Sargeant are eliminated.
Bottom five
Here’s a look at the current bottom five with two minutes left in Q2…
11. Nico Hulkenberg
12. Lewis Hamilton
13. Liam Lawson
14. Logan Sargeant
15. Valtteri Bottas
Perez holds up Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is blocked by Sergio Perez just before starting a flying lap as the Red Bull driver slows down to pull into the pit lane.
The Brit currently sits 12th, with George Russell up in sixth as things stand.
Sainz goes quickest
Carlos Sainz, who topped FP2 and FP3 earlier this weekend, is currently at the top of the standings with a lap time of 1:20.991.
He leads Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who are in second and third respectively.
Meanwhile, the two Mercedes drivers are yet to set any meaningful laps but will soon have times on the board.
Q2 underway
The remaining 15 drivers are making their way out on track for Q2, with five more set to be eliminated before the final session of the day.
Ferrari duo under investigation
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be investigated after the session for ‘failing to follow race director instructions’ regarding the maximum lap time.
Drivers were told before the session to avoid going too slowly on their out laps in a bid to prevent a build-up of traffic.
It would be a crushing blow for Ferrari if their drivers are penalised at their home race…
End of Q1
Max Verstappen ends up as the fastest driver in Q1 with a lap time of 1:21.573.
Alex Albon does well to come home in second place, with Charles Leclerc in third.
Yuki Tsunoda also impresses with his final lap to move into fourth.
Zhou Guanyu, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll are the five drivers to have been knocked out.
Close call for Norris
Lando Norris was forced to take evasive action a few moments ago when Esteban Ocon failed to spot him at the entry to the final corner.
The latter has since picked up some floor damage after a trip into the gravel but has ventured back out to try and get himself out of the bottom five.
Drivers at risk
Here’s a look at the bottom five drivers with just four minutes left in Q1…
16. Pierre Gasly
17. Oscar Piastri
18. Nico Hulkenberg
19. Esteban Ocon
20. Lance Stroll
Red Bull leading the way
Max Verstappen manages to stay on track with his second Q1 run and is currently the quickest driver on track.
Sergio Perez trails his Red Bull team-mate by a margin of three-tenths, with Fernando Alonso in third.
Alex Albon is still going strong up in fourth, while Lewis Hamilton is yet to get into his groove and is all the way down in 13th.
Verstappen’s first lap deleted
Max Verstappen goes to the top of the standings but sees his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn Seven.
Alex Albon is currently leading the way with a time of 1:22.123, just ahead of George Russell and Sergio Perez.
Here we go!
Qualifying is now underway and the drivers are beginning to emerge from the pit lane for the start of Q1.
As per the tyre allocation rules in place today, everybody is running the white-walled hards.
Perez gets new engine
Red Bull have fitted Sergio Perez’s car with a new engine ahead of qualifying.
He suffered a leak during FP3 and the team have been working hard to put things right over the last couple of hours.
The Mexican driver will not be given a penalty, though, as the new engine is within his yearly allocation.
Over in the Ferrari garage, Carlos Sainz has taken a new gearbox.
Tyre restrictions
Drivers will be restricted in their tyre choices this afternoon, with the alternative tyre allocation in place for the second time this season.
It means that everybody will be made to run hard tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3.
What happened in FP3?
Carlos Sainz gave Ferrari hope at their home Grand Prix by leading the way in this morning’s final practice session.
The Spaniard edged out Max Verstappen by a slender margin of just 0.086 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton coming home in third.
Fernando Alonso was able to show some impressive pace for Aston Martin further down the order, while Haas also looked surprisingly quick as they managed to get both drivers in the top 10.
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to Express Sport‘s live coverage of qualifying ahead of tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen has the opportunity to make history at Monza this weekend as he chases a record-breaking 10th straight victory.
The Dutchman will be the favourite to claim pole position today but the likes of Lewis Hamilton and both Ferrari drivers will certainly be hoping to spring a major surprise.
We’re just half an hour away from the start of Q1 and will be keeping you updated with all the action as it happens.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Source: Read Full Article