Carlos Sainz claimed a magical Pole Position for Ferrari in Monza, giving the Tifosi a special moment on home soil. Verstappen and Leclerc were close behind in what was an extremely close F1 qualifying session.
Ferrari were optimistic about their chances going into this weekend, and the SF-23 has lived up to its potential at a circuit well-suited to its characteristics.
Red Bull will be a formidable opponent on Sunday, but as Sainz said after Free Practice – “Dreaming is free.”
George Russell put together an impressive lap to make the second row, maximising the W14 in Italy. Alex Albon lived up to the excitement surrounding Williams heading into this weekend, securing a P6 grid start.
McLaren and Aston Martin’s limitations in a straight line were exposed, unable to compete for Pole in a circuit badly suited to their cars.
There’s a reason they call him the Smooth Operator 😉🤩
¡Vamos! 🌶️#ItalianGP #F1 @Carlossainz55 @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/aLb9QAaPyf
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 2, 2023
Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris are typically key players in Q3. This wasn’t the case today.
Oscar Piastri deserves immense credit for finishing ahead of his teammate to start P7, further evidence of the Australian driver’s progress.
Yuki Tsunoda was only 0.013 away from making the top 10, whilst Liam Lawson drove tremendously to finish within touching distance of his Japanese teammate.
The rookie is performing at a brilliant level for AlphaTauri, competing at a high level since being called upon.
Alpine was the biggest casualty in qualifying, with a combination of poor execution and lacklustre speed playing a role.
Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo and Haas were uninspiring once again, confirming their limitations.
The second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll was at the very back, spending most of this weekend on the backfoot after missing FP1 and FP2.
Tomorrow’s race could see another change to the pecking order, especially given the lack of long runs completed by the field on Friday’s practice sessions.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
