Monza - Qualifying

Last week was a disaster for Ferrari, but the team had no time to dwell on the past, not when Monza was the next fixture on the racing calendar. The iconic Italian race always provides excitement for all fans, and absolute madness for the Tifosi. Year by year, the masses dressed in red hope and pray to see their drivers locking out the front row during Saturday's qualifying. Did their dreams come true? Or had the disappointment from Zandvoort carried on to another weekend?

Qualifying started off rather smoothly, despite Carlos Sainz going off track and bringing some gravel onto the circuit. The Ferraris began the session with a promising 1-2, only to be promptly beaten by the rapid McLarens. However, this time, the top of the leaderboard wasn't always draped in orange. Instead, the names shuffled around as the track improved further and further. As the session was nearing its end, George Russell was the driver who found himself on top, a stark contrast from his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, who was in danger of ending his day early. The young Italian managed to climb back into a safe position, but just barely, especially since, in the end, the difference between staying in the game or heartbreak was unbelievably small. Isack Hadjar, Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson made up the elimination zone. 

The second session began after a slight delay brought on by the gravel being swept off the track. For the most part, the front of the field was made up of all the usual suspects, although one person was missing from the mix. Lando Norris made a mistake during his first flying lap and was then called into the pits with no time on the board. This put him in a tough spot: if he didn't execute all his remaining laps perfectly, he would only have time for one attempt. With so much on the line, he had to put his all into his first timed lap of Q2. It wasn't enough to put him in he safe position: as the other drivers finished attempts of their own, he was pushed into the elimination zone. He managed to start his final flyer with 13 seconds to go and, to the relief of all McLaren fans, clawed his way into the top 10. Williams looked quick all throughout the weekend, but when it came to qualifying, they didn't have enough pace to compete at the front, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon finishing 13th and 14th respectively. Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon were also eliminated. 

Q3 was one of the closest and most intense of the season. After the first series of flying laps, it was Verstappen who came out on top, with Leclerc less than 0.1s behind him. All throughout the field, the differences between drivers were minimal. Hamilton had a 5-place grid penalty carried over from Zandvoort, so most Tifosi expected Ferrari to use that fact to help Leclerc. The assumption was that the team would let Hamilton onto the track first with his teammate right behind, creating the perfect conditions for a one-in-a-hundred lap. Ultimately, the strategy was not used. The drivers tried to improve their times without any external help, but fell short of qualifying for the front row. Both McLarens managed to find themselves at the very front for a few moments, only to ultimately be beaten by Verstappen, who turned the early provisional pole into the real thing. 

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. George Russell

7. Kimi Antonelli

8. Gabriel Bortoleto

9. Fernando Alonso

10. Yuki Tsunoda

11. Oliver Bearman

12. Nico Hulkenberg

13. Carlos Sainz

14. Alex Albon

15. Estaban Ocon

16. Isack Hadjar

17. Lance Stroll

18. Franco Colapinto

19. Pierre Gasly

20. Liam Lawson