Italian Grand Prix – After Formula 1’s second ever sprint qualifying session, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen starts on pole, ahead of the surprise result of the McLaren’s of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris.
In the dash for pole position, it was Valtteri Bottas who crossed the line first, but due to receiving grid penalties, the Finn will start at the back of the grid. He’ll be one to watch during the Grand Prix to see whether he can charge through the field.
Click here for the sprint qualifying report
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly qualified well for the sprint starting in sixth place, however, after clipping the back of Ricciardo’s McLaren, the Frenchman damaged his front wing and speared off into the barriers at Curva Grande. The car ploughed into the barriers causing heavy damage to the front end of his AlphaTauri. As a result, Gasly will start in 19th place for the Grand Prix.
Championship contender Lewis Hamilton had a terrible start and dropped down to fifth place, behind the two McLaren’s and crucially, Verstappen. Hamilton found it hard to find a way past Norris and will be looking ahead to a strategy to try and undercut the fellow countryman.
Here is how the grid lines up for the Italian Grand Prix:
- Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing
- Daniel Ricciardo McLaren
- Lando Norris McLaren
- Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
- Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari
- Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari
- Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo
- Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing
- Lance Stroll Aston Martin
- Fernando Alonso Alpine
- Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin
- Esteban Ocon Alpine
- Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing
- George Russell Williams Racing
- Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri
- Nikita Mazepin Haas
- Robert Kubica Alfa Romeo
- Mick Schumacher Haas
- Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri
- Valtteri Bottas Mercedes (Grid penalty)