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Daniel Ricciardo volition commencement the Italian Grand Prix from a season-best 4th aft a raft of penalties elevated him up the grid.
Ricciardo was eighth connected merit, earlier penalties to the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, arsenic good arsenic the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, elevated Ricciardo to the 2nd row, alongside teammate Lando Norris successful a McLaren second-row lockout.
The tifosi - the fanatical Ferrari supporters who battalion Monza each twelvemonth - were sent into hysterics erstwhile Ferrari's Charles Leclerc secured pole. He is 1 of the fewer drivers astatine the pointy extremity of the tract without a penalty.
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George Russell volition commencement alongside successful fourth.
Runaway points person Max Verstappen was 2nd aft qualifying but volition again person to effort and combat his mode to the beforehand - though this clip lone from seventh - aft helium took connected a caller motor and incurred a 5 spot grid penalty.
Leclerc acceptable the fastest clip connected his past thigh successful qualifying and knew helium would commencement astatine the beforehand of the grid adjacent earlier Verstappen crossed 0.145 seconds slower, meaning the Ferrari operator secured rod connected merit and not conscionable due to the fact that of his rival’s grid penalties.
“How lovely. Now guys, tomorrow,” Leclerc said connected squad vigor successful Italian arsenic the roars from the passionate red-clad tifosi fans echoed astir the circuit.
Despite starting the play brightly, Ferrari has had a hard run afloat of errors. Leclerc, who trails Verstappen by 109 points successful the standings, admitted it was a “surprise” to apical qualifying.
“It feels really, truly good,” said Leclerc, who volition beryllium bidding to emulate his 2019 Monza triumph.
"We inactive request to finalize this time different it’s pointless to bash the rod connected Saturday, but it is simply a precise bully astonishment contiguous considering wherever we travel from ... we were not expecting to combat for poles here.
“So it’s a precise bully surprise, astatine home. Yeah, there’s a peculiar information for this weekend. And it’s large that we managed to bash a bully occupation today.”
Verstappen is bidding for a 5th consecutive triumph and a first-ever quality connected the iconic Monza podium. The reigning champion had a much daunting task astatine the Belgium GP 2 weeks ago, erstwhile helium was again among respective drivers to beryllium deed with grid penalties and started 14th but surged done the tract to victory.
And the Red Bull operator believes the strategy is simple.
"I conscionable request to person a cleanable archetypal lap, wide the cars successful betwixt america rather quickly, and I deliberation we inactive person a bully accidental here,” Verstappen said.
Carlos Sainz was 3rd fastest but helium volition was besides deed with penalties and volition commencement astatine the backmost of the grid, up of seven-time satellite champion Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda.
“I’m not going to lie, it hurts to beryllium starting astatine the backmost time particularly with however competitory the car is this weekend, however bully I’m feeling connected the car, particularly aft this qualifying, and to cognize I volition beryllium starting astatine the back," helium said.
“I volition bash my champion and effort to enactment connected a bully amusement ... but I privation I could beryllium determination astatine the beforehand with Charles successful bid to effort and spell one-two time for the tifosi.”
Nine drivers successful full received grid penalties. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez qualified fourth, up of the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and George Russell, but it is Russell who volition commencement alongside Leclerc connected Sunday. Pérez volition alternatively commencement backmost successful 13th.
Behind the McLaren's travel the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso's Alpine.
There was an awesome qualifying debut from Williams reserve operator Nyck de Vries who is stepping successful for Alex Albon this play aft the Thai operator was diagnosed with appendicitis.
The 27-year-old De Vries made it into Q2 - bettering teammate Nicholas Latifi - and was 13th fastest meaning helium volition commencement his first-ever F1 contention successful eighth.
- with Damien McCartney
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