Event: Italian Grand Prix
Track: Monza Circuit
Weather: dry 28°C
Tarmac: dry 39°C
Humidity : 41%
Wind : 2.0 km/h SE
Pressure: 999 mbar
Carlos Sainz scored his 4th F1 pole position of his career during the 2023 Italian Grand Prix qualifying session today. The Ferrari driver will start from P1 for the first time on Monza. It was the 245th pole for Scuderia Ferrari.
Sensational Qualifying Sees Sainz Clinch Pole Position for Ferrari at Monza
In a qualifying session that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari secured a stunning pole position for the 2023 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The Spanish driver thrilled the passionate Tifosi by edging out his rivals in a nail-biting Q3 session.
The qualifying session was marked by strategic tire choices and intense battles for track position. Pirelli's 'Alternative Tyre Allocation' system added an extra layer of complexity, with drivers using hard tires in Q1, mediums in Q2, and softs in Q3. Sainz's mastery of this unique challenge stood out, demonstrating his adaptability and skill.
Throughout practice sessions, Ferrari exhibited strong performance at their home circuit. Sainz, in particular, showcased impressive speed and consistency, topping two practice sessions and finishing second in another. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, a two-time pole-sitter at Monza, remained a contender despite struggling with setup issues.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull, the driver with an unprecedented streak of nine consecutive wins, was expected to challenge for pole. Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez showed consistent pace in practice, but a mistake in Q3 denied Verstappen the top spot.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton faced challenges with tire warm-up, affecting his qualifying performance. However, George Russell's impressive lap secured him a fourth-place start, showcasing the promising potential of the Mercedes package.
Alpine's Fernando Alonso and Williams' Alex Albon demonstrated strong performances, with Alonso securing a P10 start and Albon securing P6. McLaren's Lando Norris, despite a blocked final lap, managed to make it into Q3, starting in ninth position.
The qualifying session also saw a close battle among the mid-field teams. AlphaTauri's Liam Lawson, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missed out on Q3, while Esteban Ocon of Alpine struggled with track limits and ended up in P18.
Ultimately, it was Sainz's exceptional lap that stole the show. With the Tifosi roaring their approval from the stands, Sainz secured his fourth career pole position. As the Spanish driver reveled in the moment, the atmosphere was electric, setting the stage for what promises to be an unforgettable race day.
The quickest sector times during qualifying were:
- 26.667 sec. by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari SF23
- 26.988 sec. by Carlos Sainz with the Ferrari SF23
- 26.500 sec. by Max Verstappen with the Red Bull RB19
Last years pole position time was a 1:20.161 min, driven by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari F1-75.
Qualifying Times 2023 Italian GP
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:21.965 | 1:20.991 | 1:20.294 | 20 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:21.573 | 1:20.937 | 1:20.307 | 21 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:21.788 | 1:20.977 | 1:20.361 | 21 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:22.148 | 1:21.382 | 1:20.671 | 21 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:21.911 | 1:21.240 | 1:20.688 | 21 |
| 6 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:21.661 | 1:21.272 | 1:20.760 | 21 |
| 7 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:22.106 | 1:21.527 | 1:20.785 | 24 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:21.977 | 1:21.369 | 1:20.820 | 21 |
| 9 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:21.995 | 1:21.581 | 1:20.979 | 23 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:22.043 | 1:21.543 | 1:21.417 | 19 |
| 11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:21.852 | 1:21.594 | 15 | |
| 12 | 40 | Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri | 1:22.112 | 1:21.758 | 15 | |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:22.343 | 1:21.776 | 16 | |
| 14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.249 | 1:21.940 | 14 | |
| 15 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:21.930 | 1:21.944 | 15 | |
| 16 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.390 | 8 | ||
| 17 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:22.545 | 7 | ||
| 18 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:22.548 | 8 | ||
| 19 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:22.592 | 8 | ||
| 20 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:22.860 | 9 |
✅ Don't forget to check out our 2023 Italian F1 Grand Prix preview info.
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Exciting qualifying, especially the end, but tomorrow's story will probably be different anyway, i.e., Max taking the lead into either Prima Variante or Della Roggia & running away to a comfortable victory.
Lance finishing dead last was unsurprising after such limited preparation.
Both Alpine drivers failing to reach Q2 was surprising, though.
Fun stuff. Ferrari is in with a chance if the red team can figure out how to change tires.
It would be electric to see Ferrari win at Monza!
However, you are correct, ROR. The crew need to first get the tyres to the pit lane, and then change all four at once!
IMO they don't have the race pace at the moment, as in the race the Verstappen steam roller squashes all in it's wake!
I would love to see Carlos win. IMO he is one of the most underrated drivers on the grid. All eyes are always on Charles, however, this season Carlos is shining brighter.
I say, Leopold. In the account of Qualifying you made no mention of Oscar Piastri, who qualified P7 ahead of Lando in P9.
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