Stroll second, Ocon third with Red Bull duo taking engine penalties
Saturday 30 September 2017 09:12, UK
Lance Stroll will start behind Lewis Hamilton on the front row at the Italian GP, with the grid heavily revised due to various engine penalties.
On Sunday morning, Stoffel Vandoorne became the seventh driver to be hit with a grid penalty when the McLaren driver, having provisionally qualified in ninth, was also demoted.
As a result of a power unit change made on his McLaren-Honda, the Belgian is set to from 18th despite being levied with a 25-place penalty.
Sergio Perez was also penalised hours before the race was due to get underway following an unscheduled gearbox change. The Mexican, who initially qualified 11th but was promoted to eighth after the other penalties were applied will now start 10th.
But Williams rookie Stroll, who posted the fourth fastest time in Q3 at a rain-hit Monza, will move up two places for the race with both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo taking hefty grid drops.
Verstappen and Ricciardo will now start 13th and 16th respectively.
Stroll, 18, will become the youngest driver to ever start on the front row - months after he secured a stunning first F1 podium at the Azerbaijan GP.
And the Canadian will be followed closely by another youngster, with Force India's Esteban Ocon finishing a place behind him in a session that was delayed by more than two hours due to heavy rain.
"These young kids will keep me on my toes," said Hamilton, who secured the all-time pole record on Saturday. "Lance and Ocon have been driving so well. They've been thrown in at the deep end so today shows great promise."
What made Stroll's feat more impressive was his admission that he had never raced an F1 car in full wet conditions.
"If you look at that qualifying session as a test of skill, Stroll was fourth quickest out of that lot," said Sky F1 pundit Damon Hill. "Only the cream of the crop rose to the top in that session, and Stroll and Ocon were right up there."
Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and, Felipe Massa will also be lifted up two places for Sunday's race as a result of Verstappen (20) and Ricciardo's (25) grid penalties.
Renault's Nico Hulkenberg (15) and Jolyon Palmer (10), Carlos Sainz (10) and Fernando Alonso (35) are the other drivers who have been hit with grid drops - plus, as of Sunday morning, Vandoorne (25).
Romain Grosjean still starts on the back row as the qualifying time he set before crashing in Q1 was outside 107% of the fastest lap in that session. The Haas driver has received permission from the stewards to start the race.
Official starting grid for the Italian GP
1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2) Lance Stroll, Williams
3) Esteban Ocon, Force India
4) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
5) Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
6) Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
7) Felipe Massa, Williams
8) Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso
9) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
10) Sergio Perez, Force India
11) Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
12) Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber
13) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
14) Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
15) Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso
16) Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
17) Jolyon Palmer, Renault
18) Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
19) Fernando Alonso, McLaren
20) Romain Grosjean, Haas
