Charles Leclerc claimed his eighth pole position of the Formula 1 season in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, just edging out Max Verstappen. Leclerc was second after the first runs in Q3, but shaved 0.268s off his time to post a 1m:20.161s to grab pole position from Verstappen in the Red Bull. The World Champion vaulted up from third to leapfrog Carlos Sainz Jr who was the provisional pole-sitter after the first runs. However, Sainz could only improve by 0.155s but was never going to start on pole due to the engine penalties he is carrying. The leading trio were nearly one second clear of the field, with Sergio Perez fourth fastest for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton was fifth fastest for Mercedes, pipping George Russell by 0.018s. However, Hamilton is going to the back of the grid for his own penalties, meaning Russell is promoted to second spot on the grid. Behind will be Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in an all-McLaren second row after they were seventh and eighth, respectively - the Briton three-tenths up on the Australian. Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso were ninth and 10th, both losing their final Q3 laps for track limits - the latter not setting a time after aborting his first run. Verstappen is due to start seventh, Sainz 16th, Perez 14th and Hamilton 15th.
Ocon shock Q2 eliminee
The big name faller in Q2 was the Alpine of Esteban Ocon - who is carrying a back of the grid penalty. His final lap of a 1m:22.130s was just 0.068s short of the final Q3 spot, taken by Gasly after Ricciardo's late effort vaulted the Australian up to eighth place in the segment. Valtteri Bottas took 12th for Alfa Romeo, with Nyck de Vries 13th in his first F1 qualifying session. The 2020/21 Formula E champion was actually 0.205s up on a time he needed to get through at the end of Sector 1, but a mistake at the second chicane ruined his chances of a Q3 appearance. However, due to penalties, de Vries will be starting in the top 10. The other two drivers eliminated were Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda - the latter not coming out due to his own penalties. At the front, Sainz's 1m:20.878s was enough to take P1 in Q2.
Latifi beaten by de Vries
Nicholas Latifi was the first driver to be knocked out in Q1, just 0.020s slower than teammate de Vries. The Dutchman had a late lap deleted for track limits which demoted him to 15th, and the final spot in the second segment. Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll were both knocked out as Aston Martin continued to have a bad weekend - although the 2008 pole sitter reported a problem on his first lap. The final two places in Q1 were taken up by the Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher - both carrying 15 place penalties. Magnussen had two laps deleted for track limits, ahead of Schumacher who towed his teammate around. Up front, Verstappen's 1m:20.922s on a second push lap was good enough for the fastest time.
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