Ferrari weakens in the Formula 1 world championship, Carlos Sainz is fifth, Charles Leclerc is sixth in the points race, and the situation has arisen so that the Maranello stable is only fourth among the teams behind Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin. This can happen because, in addition to the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion and current World Cup leader, as well as Sergio Perez, one of Mercedes and Aston Martin’s rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, also scored many points and beat Ferraris.
The most experienced Formula 1 team wants to prove itself this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Team president Frédéric Vasseur explained that their fan base gives them great support, but the home stadium also means a lot of pressure, and they have to deal with that situation. Well, in practice, Sainz did it really well. He finished second behind Verstappen in the first practice session on Friday, and set a best time in the second session, as he did in the third free practice session on Saturday. In today’s practice, the top six were Sainz, Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, Alonso and George Russell (Mercedes).
The battle between Sainz, Verstappen and Leclerc
In the afternoon qualifying session, Verstappen proved to be the fastest on hard compounds in the first division, and Lance Stroll was the slowest, so the Canadian Aston Martin driver started the race tomorrow from last 20th place. In the second section, medium-sized compounds were used on the cars, and Verstappen had the best time on that lap as well, but Leclerc and Sainz were right behind him. Finally, the third division came on soft compounds, and AC Milan’s French World Champion, Olivier Giroud, was also on hand to support the Ferrari circuit.
Verstappen made a mistake in his first attempt (1:20.631 minutes), and Leclerc outperformed him (1:20.564), but Sainz was better than him (1:20.532). Verstappen was still good for third temporarily, and they couldn’t calm down at Ferrari. Leclerc opened the second “shots”, and the Monaco driver improved (1:20.361), but Verstappen kept him out of the lead (1:20.307). But it wasn’t over yet, with Sainz arriving and with him a slow Ferrari, the Spaniard won the time trial with a time of 1:20.294, and needless to say the Italians went wild in the stands at Monza. Carlos Sainz took the fourth pole position of his career, and his first this year, in the best possible time, and there is no doubt that it is the most memorable time.
Ferrari leads the grid
Italian Grand Prix starting order:
Line 1:
Carlos Sainz (Spain, Ferrari)
Max Verstappen (Dutch, Red Bull)
line 2:
Charles Leclerc (Monaco, Ferrari)
George Russell (British, Mercedes)
Line 3:
Sergio Perez (Mexican, Red Bull)
Alexander Albon (Thailand, Williams)
Line 4:
Oscar Biastri (Australian, McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (British, Mercedes)
Line 5:
Lando Norris (Great Britain, McLaren)
Fernando Alonso (Spain, Aston Martin)
Line 6:
Gouki Konoda (Japan, Alpha Tauri)
Liam Lawson (New Zealand, Alpha Tauri)
Line 7:
Nico Hulkenberg (German, Haas)
Valtteri Bottas (Finnish, Alfa Romeo)
Line 8:
Logan Sargent (American, Williams)
Chu Kuan-Yu (Chinese, Alfa Romeo)
Line 9:
Pierre Gasly (France, Alps)
Esteban Ocon (French, Alpine)
Line 10:
Kevin Magnussen (Denmark, Haas)
Lance Stroll (Canadian, Aston Martin)
The 53-lap Italian Grand Prix starts at Monza on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Cover photo: Carlos Sainz takes a big win in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix (Source: Twitter/Scuderia Ferrari)
