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4x-World Champion Max Verstappen took pole position at today’s qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza with the fastest mean speed in Formula 1 history.
Monza, known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, is one of the fastest (in terms of top speed and averages) circuits on the calendar.
Skinny front and rear wings become the norm, as cars punch holes down the multiple straights of the circuit.
This year, Red Bull has done well with skinnier wings and less downforce. Verstappen’s pole at Silverstone came from a smaller down-force aero package, which ultimately hurt him in the wet race following.
(No such rain is on the forecast for tomorrow’s race, as Italy goes through their ‘second-summer’ in the early days of September.)
So it was unsurprising to see Red Bull, in particular Verstappen, in the fight for pole.
A small tow down the first straight, low downforce package and Verstappen’s driving charm mixed together to create the ultimate lap when it counted.
This pole was Verstappen’s 45th all-time pole position, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record at Red Bull of 44 poles.
Lining up beside Verstappen is Lando Norris, who is looking to gain points over his teammate Oscar Piastri to make up for his DNF last week.
Piastri currently sits 34 points clear of Norris in the championship and starts P3 tomorrow.
Norris will need a big first-lap move on Verstappen to gain the lead, as Verstappen’s straight-line speed will make him difficult to catch and overtake later.
Teams look set for a one-stop race, making strategies for McLaren limited- although their elite tyre degradation may hand a pace advantage to them over Verstappen if his car chews through the tyres.
Unless Norris can make an outstanding move like Piastri did on him at turn 3-4 last year, Verstappen is likely to run away with the race win as he did at Japan and Imola.
Ferrari’s tifosi will be hoping for a re-run of last year for Leclerc as he lines up P4 for a second year running- his winning position last year! Can lightning strike the same spot twice?
Hamilton finished P5, but his 5-place grid penalty from a pitlane infringement last weekend puts him down to P10. With Ferrari’s straight-line speed and strong sector one times, Hamilton should launch up the grid from the start.
Mercedes lined up P6 and P7 after looking in for a shout, as Russell topped Q1 on medium tyres. He asked for the mediums again in Q3, but the team put him on softs.
Antonelli turned his luck around today after missing most of FP2 due to a spin into the gravel. He appeared at the top of the times in Q2 alongside Verstappen, but ultimately ended P7 in Q3.
Tomorrow’s race will depend on tyre wear and aero-packages. Who’s picked right, whose tyres will last the one-stop, or will action and safety cars shake up the order?
Feature Image: Simon Galloway/LAT Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
