Ciao, MiniFans! We’re back just one week after the champioship battle got a small hit after Norris’ DNF, and we’re mostly back to normal in Monza. The temple of speed has seen the McLarens still topping the sheets in the free practices, but Ferrari is known to alwasy have something extra here, which in this occasion is added to a fresh lively commemorating the 50th anniversary of Lauda’s first title with them.
The backmarkers were, once again, the first ones out in Q1, but Ferrrari soon joined them, allowing for the tifossi to enjoy the cars on track. They easily led after this first stint, before the rest of the grid had even left their garages, but it wasn’t quite certain as of yet whether they’d be able to stay as the second best or if anyone else could fight them for it. Lesmo 2 was proving a bit of a challenge for drivers to stay in the lines, with Leclerc and Verstappen being the two most notable visitors to its gravel.
The track improvement during the second stints was pretty clear, unlike the tyres. Russell had shot up to the top with mediums, while Sainz managed a third with a used set of softs, sending strategy teams into a frenzy. Antonelli, however, hadn’t quite managed to make the medium work, stuck in the elimination zone in between the Alpines, so it wasn’t too easily seen whether it was the mediums or the combination of Russell and mediums. The decision was made quickly: they cared more about the tyre than the track improvement, so softs it was for many, with Red Bull even fitting Verstappen with a used set, despite him being only tenth on the timing tower.
Only Russell stayed in for the last stint, saving a fresh set of softs without having even tested them. Verstappen and his used set shot up to second, pretty much matching Russell’s time, while Antonelli was strugglin a bit more, only managing an eleventh. The biggest shock, apart from seing the top two times being done with a fresh medium and a used soft, came from the back of the grid. Both Racing Bulls had been struggling, as neither made it through despite last week’s performance from them, the radios pointing at soemthing to do with management rather than their driving. The eliminated drivers in Q1 were Hadjar (P16), Stroll (P17), Colapinto (P18), Gasly (P19) and Lawson (P20).
Williams kicked off Q2 with used sets to try out the track, leading the group until the big dogs came out as well, which, in this case, included Haas as well as Tsunoda, who had managed to be less than three tenths away from his Red Bull teammate. Norris was called back into the pits halfway through his warm up lap with no timed set yet, and the driver was taken into the box as Piastri got a comfortable third. One fresh set later, he was let out again for a second and last stint with enough fuel for two attempts. The first try was done alone on track, only securing seventh under the pressure of not having a cushion to make another mistake. This meant being pushed into the elimination zone after a bunch of last-minute laps and betting everything on one last push that got him fifth. The eliminated drivers in Q2 were Bearman (P11), Hulkenberg (P12), Sainz (P13), Albon (P14) and Ocon (P15).
The usefulness of a tow in Monza’s kilometric straights meant that temas were extremely careful to try and position their drivers in Q3. Norris was the first to clock in a time, but it wasn’t particularly brilliant, as he was soon overtaken by both Russell and his teammate. However, Ferrari always has something extra here, and Leclerc pushed Piastri out of the way unceremoniously. The tifossi celebrated that and Hamilton’s third, but Verstappen hadn’t said his last word yet, going almost a tenth faster than the quickest boy in red before heading back to the pits.
The second stint started out by a confused Russell, who had asked for mediums but was given softs, before the action kicked off. Both Ferraris went first, with neither improving in their first sectors. Unlike them, McLaren was improving their overall time, with Piastri even painting the second and third sectors in purple to beat Ferrari and Norris overtaking his teammate for pole. However, there was one more surprise left, as Verstappen moved them both down one place, regaining the top spot of the grid by over half a tenth over Norris.
After a bit of a confusing Q1 for everyone and a frnatic Q2 for Norris, Q3 didn’t allow for any surprises. Well, that’s what I seemed at first, when Piastri set his first fastest lap, but Verstappen and Leclerc had a few surprises up their sleeves, going head to head with the championship leader. A second stint cemented the unexpected surprise, with Verstappen pushing everyone out of the way to get one more pole position in his CV and one question remaining: is it just a one off or has Red Bull found something that will also allow the four-time champion to fight on Sunday?
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