Charles Leclerc edged out Max Verstappen to top qualifying at Monza; Verstappen is one of nine drivers taking a grid penalty; George Russell to start second despite qualifying sixth; watch the Italian GP live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm on Sunday, with build-up from 1pm
Sunday 11 September 2022 00:03, UK
Charles Leclerc claimed pole for Ferrari at the Italian team's home Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen was relegated to seventh by a grid penalty after qualifying second at Monza.
Penalties for world championship leader Verstappen and Leclerc's Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz - the only realistic challengers for pole - meant the Monegasque was all but assured of starting from the front, but he delivered the fastest time in qualifying to the delight of the Tifosi.
Mercedes' George Russell joins Leclerc on the front row despite having qualified sixth, while McLaren occupy both places on the second row with Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo also benefitting from penalties to other drivers.
There was major confusion after qualifying as to how the starting grid would look, with nine drivers - including the four who qualified directly behind Leclerc - taking penalties after exceeding their allowances for new parts.
Almost four hours after the session's conclusion, the FIA finally released a provisional starting grid, confirming that Verstappen would be made to serve his full five-place penalty and start seventh.
There had been speculation that Verstappen could start fourth, in the event he had been moved down to seventh but then been allowed to climb three places for the drivers below him who had also incurred penalties.
"Today is good but now we need to repeat it tomorrow, tomorrow is the critical today but the feeling is really good we just need to put everything together and do no mistakes," Leclerc said.
"Honestly, I am quite confident that we have got a very good race pace. They (Red Bull) have got a different configuration and higher downforce but I am quite confident we can make this work."
Sainz was third but with a penalty relegating him to back of the grid, starts 18th, a place ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who qualified fifth but also had the same punishment.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was fourth but starts 13th after receiving a 10-place penalty, which couldn't be fully imposed due to all the cars behind him on the grid also having penalties.
AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly, who took to social media to enquire about his starting position shortly before the FIA's confirmation of the provisional grid, starts fifth, with Alpine's Fernando Alonso joining him on the third row.
Nyck de Vries will start from eighth on his F1 race debut after impressing in his first qualifying outing as he deputised in a Williams for Alex Albon, who was ruled out of the weekend earlier on Saturday having fallen ill with appendicitis.
The Mercedes reserve driver, who is hoping to secure a permanent seat on the grid next season, outperformed team-mate Nicholas Latifi to advance to Q2, before finishing 13th and gaining five places thanks to the penalties.
The sport continued to pay its respects to Queen Elizabeth II, with several cars carrying visual tributes. A minute's silence was observed by all teams in the pit lane ahead of first practice on Friday, and further tributes are expected before Sunday's race.
Provisional Italian GP starting grid:
1) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2) George Russell (Mercedes)
3) Lando Norris (McLaren)
4) Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
5) Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
6) Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
7) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)*
8) Nyck de Vries (Williams)
9) Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
10) Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
11) Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
12) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
13) Sergio Perez (Red Bull)*
14) Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
15) Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)*
16) Kevin Magnussen (Haas)*
17) Mick Schumacher (Haas)*
18) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)*
19) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)*
20) Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)*
* Grid penalty applied
Practice had made it clear that the contest for the fastest time was between Leclerc, Verstappen and Sainz, with each of the three having topped one of the three sessions.
Red Bull's Verstappen appeared to have established himself as the clear favourite to top the timesheet when he comfortably outpaced Leclerc in final practice earlier on Saturday.
With Verstappen and Sainz facing penalties, there was plenty of speculation as to whether the teams would use the demoted drivers to provide tows for their team-mates during qualifying.
It appeared both teams decided that such a tactic wasn't necessary, with Sainz surprisingly receiving a tow from Leclerc on their first run in the final part of qualifying.
Ultimately it didn't matter, as Leclerc saved his best for last, trumping Verstappen by 0.145s to ensure the world championship leader starts a place further back on the grid after his penalty is applied.
While Verstappen appears to be out of reach for Leclerc, who is tied for second in the standings with Perez 109 points behind the Dutchman with seven races remaining, a victory at Monza would be of huge significance for Ferrari.
Following a series of reliability issues and strategic errors, there is pressure on Ferrari to deliver in front of the Tifosi, and a win would undoubtedly ease the growing pressure on team principal Mattia Binotto.
Mercedes had been off the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari throughout the weekend, but were crucially able to deliver enough pace to see off McLaren and assure Russell of a front row start.
Hamilton faces a tough challenge to come through the field from 19th on the grid, with the Mercedes' lack of straight-line speed having the potential to make it particularly difficult to come through possible DRS trains of cars.
Norris maintained his consistent excellence to finish behind the Mercedes in seventh and is rewarded with a third-placed start, while outgoing McLaren driver Ricciardo will be pleased to have kept within touch of his team-mate at the track where the Australian won for the team a year ago.
De Vries, who was rushed into Albon's car shortly before final practice earlier on Saturday, excelled in what is likely to be his best opportunity to put himself forward for a full-time drive in F1 next year.
The 27-year-old Dutchman, who is a former Formula E and Formula 2 champion, gradually closed the gap on Williams team-mate Latifi in practice, before outperforming him in qualifying.
Further back there was more Saturday disappointment for Aston Martin, who saw Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll qualify 17th and 18th respectively, only bettering the Haas cars.
While the grid penalties will lift Vettel and Stroll up the grid, this latest qualifying disappointment is further evidence of the team failing to match its significant investment with strong performances.
