Sainz takes breathtaking Italian GP pole as Ferrari escape double penalty

Carlos Sainz set a stunning final lap time to clinch pole position for the Italian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard set a best effort of 1:20.294 to edge championship leader Max Verstappen by just 0.013secs in front of the passionate Tifosi at Monza.

But both Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who qualified third, faced the prospect of an investigation into failing to follow the Race Director's notes regarding to a maximum lap time issued earlier in the day.

The stewards, however, notified immediately after the session that no further action would be taken, confirming the qualifying result.

Sainz was a tenth down on teammate Leclerc after the first sector and after Red Bull's Verstappen pipped the Monégasque to provisional pole, a stunning final two sectors for last season's British Grand Prix winner left the home crowd jubilant.

George Russell secured fourth on the grid for Mercedes ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez, who had been forced into a power unit change in the build-up to the session following an FP3 oil leak.

Alex Albon continued his stunning form for Williams to finish sixth fastest ahead of Oscar Piastri - who spent much of Q1 in the elimination zone following a deleted lap time before recovering.

Lewis Hamilton struggled for pace and slotted in between the McLaren duo in eighth, ahead of Lando Norris, whilst Fernando Alonso was over a second off pole for Aston Martin.

Lawson impresses

AlphaTauri looked competitive at its home venue to collectively miss out on a Q3 berth by under two-tenths.

Yuki Tsunoda was only 0.013s down on Norris' best effort to qualify 11th, ahead of Liam Lawson - the New Zealander mightily impressive on his first full F1 weekend to almost match the Japanese driver.

Nico Hulkenberg couldn't repeat recent qualifying heroics to drag the Haas into the top 10 and settled for 12th, ahead of Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas and Williams' Logan Sargeant, who was left frustrated by a mistake at the final corner of his last effort.

Alpine horror show

There were three big-name eliminations in the opening part of qualifying as track limit violations and traffic played a part in the standings.

Zhou Guanyu will start 16th for Alfa Romeo having finished just 0.047s slower than Hulkenberg.

But it was the Alpine duo that sparked the biggest surprise, as Pierre Gasly led Esteban Ocon to just 17th and 18th on the grid.

Last week's podium-clinching performance now feels a distant memory for Gasly, who had his penultimate lap time deleted for running wide at the second Lesmo.

For teammate Ocon, a trip across the gravel at the exit of Ascari left him with damage on the underbody before a slipstream tactic failed to pay dividends.

Kevin Magnussen was 19th as his Haas struggles continued, with Lance Stroll rounding out the grid for Aston Martin.