There’s nothing quite like a dominant performance on home turf, and that’s precisely what the Ferrari team delivered on Saturday during an impressive qualifying session.
Ferrari electrified the crowd by securing pole position, with Carlos Sainz edging out world champion Max Verstappen for the top spot. Verstappen claimed the second pole position, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured the third spot on the grid.
Mercedes’ George Russell completed the top four, setting the stage for an exciting showdown at the Italian GP on Sunday. Ferrari’s standout performance in qualifying, especially with Sainz securing his first pole position of the season, marks a historic moment.
For the first time since 2018, both Ferraris will start from the top three positions on the grid at their home race. While Ferrari’s competitors acknowledge the team’s impressive display, they remain focused on clinching a podium finish in Sunday’s race.
Reigning champion Max Verstappen is undeterred by Ferrari’s strong showing. “Qualifying was tight, but I’m happy to start on the front row here at Monza. Tomorrow it’s full throttle,” he shared on social media.
Verstappen has a strong track record of converting second pole positions into victories, having won four times out of his last ten starts from this grid position. Mercedes’ George Russell was delighted with his fourth-place finish, stating, “Definitely very happy with P4, slightly exceeded expectations.” Russell expressed confidence in his race performance and his ambition to secure a podium finish on Sunday. H
e emphasized the importance of tire management, noting that his team did not change tires after Q1. Russell’s optimism for Sunday is buoyed by his car’s setup, which favours the race over qualifying. “Ferrari seem to be very competitive this weekend, so I don’t really know where they’ve come from, but I think we will have better tire degradation,” he added.
In contrast, his teammate, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, struggled during the race and finished in eighth place, describing his performance as slow from the start. Other drivers faced challenges during the qualifying session, with Alpine’s Esteban O’Connor finishing in a disappointing 18th place.
Notably, there was a significant improvement from Williams, as Alex Albon secured sixth place, the best performance for Williams Racing at Monza since 2017.
Sunday’s final promises a highly competitive race, with top drivers eyeing the podium. All eyes will undoubtedly be on Max Verstappen, who aims to achieve a record of successive F1 wins and extend his unbeaten run to ten races.
