The Late Braking F1 Podcast - 2026 Italian GP Qualifying Review

Episode Date: September 5, 2026

Monza delivered a qualifying corker with multiple drivers in contention, but one surprise driver emerged to take the top spot for the first time in their career. Join Ben as he dissects that incredible shock pole, the different team games in play, how Ferrari fared in front of their home crowd, and all the rest of the action. CLICK HERE for full details of the Race Against Dementia prize draw and how to enter, for the chance to win a one-of-a-kind replica of Sir Jackie Stewart’s iconic signed Bell Racing helmet and a VIP trip to the 2026 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026. Want more Late Braking? Support the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and get: Ad-free listening Full-length bonus episodes Power Rankings after every race Historical race reviews & more exclusive extras! Don't forget! You can also gift a Late Braking Patreon subscription—perfect for loved ones or your own wish list. Choose anything from 1 month up to a full year of top-notch F1 content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/latebrakingf1/gift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Late Braking: You can find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Come hang out with us and thousands of fellow F1 fans in our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ server and get involved in lively everyday & race weekend chats! Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠F1 Fantasy League⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and see if you can beat us! LEAGUE CODE: C6Y6R4ZUY02 Get in touch any time at [e-mail] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thank you for listening to the late-breaking F-1 podcast. Make sure to check out new episodes every Wednesday and every Sunday. Welcome to the late-breaking F-1 podcast presented by me, Ben Hocking. Reviewing, of course, today qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monter. And no surprise whatsoever, it's a Mercedes power unit on top. But no, not that one. Or that one. Or maybe that other one you're thinking of.

Pole position for the first time in his F1 career goes to Pierre Gazley of Alpine. What's all that about? Pierre Gasly and Alpine finding not only, finding pace, finding a top four start would have been ridiculous, front road start even more so. But pole position, he will start from first tomorrow ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell. with Piastri and the two Ferraris in behind. Goodness me, F1A. We can have discussions all throughout this season of some of the issues with the sport

and where we think the sport could be improved or where it's been a little bit better in previous years and not sure if this needs to be tweaked or this isn't quite right. But core F1 is just still there. And even if this result, didn't come about where we've got such an unexpected poll sitter in Pierre Ghazley. There is something just so special about qualifying at Monza on a Saturday, warm weather,

a couple of minutes to go in Q3. That is F1 almost in a nutshell. If you want me to explain F1 to someone who's never heard of it or you want me to, you want me to show something of F1 to someone who's, never seen it before. Odds are I would pick the last couple of minutes of any Q3 session that you see at Monza, apart from 2019, the time that no one actually got around to do a lap. And this one is a perfect example of that. All of those discussions just float away into the ether and we are just left absolutely hooked by a number of drivers who are in contention for pole position and you

have an unexpected driver get pole. And that's the beauty of F1. You know that nine times out of 10 or 99 times out of 100, you're going to watch a qualifying session and you are roughly going to know how it's going to end up. But why do you tune in? Why do you have that connection, that emotion to the sport? Because you know that one in a hundred time, it isn't going to go the way that you think it's going to go. You are going to get that shock result that you can't see coming. You are going to get that 1,000 to 1 outside shot, as Pierre Gasley was, get a pole position. And as he said himself, I don't think I can put it any better. He loves this track.

And honestly, I can't blame him. Not only has he had a win here before a couple of years ago, he's now got a pole position to add on to it. I'm not sure how many drivers have managed to lose a podium, of course, referring to the Monaco News, and collect a pole position in the same weekend. Yet here, Pierre Gazley is sitting above the rest. I mean, I could probably go on for the next 30 minutes

about how impressive he was, but just a few of the highlights to pick out here. First of all, he is not that far clear of George Russell. It's 0.060 that it ends up between the two of those. He's put two temps on nearly everyone else. Both Ferraris over two temps, away. Lano Norris is nearly half a second away.

And you expect Monsa qualifying to be particularly close just because there aren't that many corners where you can make a difference. And really, it becomes a question of the power units and setup. But to be able to get that kind of a margin when it wasn't looking like it was going to be, I'm not going to say he's dominated the field here, but certainly after the first runs in Q3, it looked like we might be dealing with five cars within a tenth of the poll time. Not the case at all, thanks to that lap from Pierre Gasly. And so often we see with these midfield teams,

one of them, whether it's Alpine or racing balls or Audi, one of them will have pace maybe in the early parts of qualifying in Q1, not saying that it's enough to set the fastest lap, as Pierre Gazley did in Q1, but it's enough to get you interested. And then as we go throughout the qualifying sessions into Q2 and in Q3, the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, they're able to kick on in a way that the midfield teams can't quite. They don't have the same rate of evolution throughout the sessions. And I have to admit, as soon as Gassley took the fastest slap in in Q1, I was thinking we'd see something similar.

I was still impressed enough by the Alpine pace that I kind of thought they would be there or thereabouts in Q3 and that they might be fighting for the third row on the grid or even the second row of the grid. But I didn't think at that point a pole position was on the cards. But Pierre Gasly has done a brilliant job of just getting quicker and quicker throughout. 122 6 in the first part of qualifying, 122 flat in the second part of qualifying, and then a 121-7 to ultimately seal the pole position. Excellent job. I've got no idea whether he's going to be able to hold on to it tomorrow.

My inkling is he won't. But then again, my inkling wasn't he was going to get pole position. So I've been wrong many times before. I feel like George Russell, the Ferraris and others will have better race pace than Alpine. But just very impressive. And of course you need to give credit to Alpine and that the car was clearly much better than what we've seen it at other Grand Prix so far this year.

But there's a reason, like, he's on pole and Colapinto's not alongside him. Colopinto himself has done a pretty good job to get P8. But there's over four temps between them. And whereas Colapinto and Gasly very well matched through the first sector of the lap, in fact, Colopinto, I think, was the fastest driver through the first sector.

It's Gasly, who's then, made the difference in the middle part of the lap and then the final part of the lap as well. Joining him on the front row, George Russell. Now, we obviously focused a lot on George Russell in the preview midweek about how important of a race weekend this would be for him, not just because he needs to obviously gain points on his teammate,

but because we knew that Antonelli was going to be taking this grid penalty that will see him to the back of the grid. we were asking the question, is this a must win for George Russell? And from second place, a win is still very much on the cards. I expect he's still the favourite from second place on the grid. But if you had told him before this session started that he was going to get pipped by just one driver, he'd have rattled through a lot of names before he got to Pierre Gasley. And I'm not just saying this because he's in a Mercedes.

No disrespect to Pierre Gasly, who did again, phenomenal job. This should have been Russell's poll position in that Russell had the pace to get it done. He didn't put together the sectors. He had all of the pace throughout the three qualifying sessions to the point where his theoretical fastest lap was well over a tenth clear of what Gassley was able to do in the final part of qualifying. By all means, it should have been Russell's. But that's the beauty of Monza. That's the beauty of qualifying is that you need to be able to hook them all together. on that same lap. And Russell, quite frankly,

didn't do a good enough job with that. He was brilliant in the middle part of the lap. In fact, the Mercedes, and I'm not talking about the engine, I'm talking about the team here. The Mercedes team were brilliant in the middle part of the lap. Antonelli showed that too. But he couldn't put that together

with a first and final sector that could beat Pierre Ghazley. A massive shame for him. the only silver lining for Russell is that, again, if they do have better race pace than Alpine, if he had to pick someone to be ahead of him, Gazzley is probably more favourable than some of the other drivers and other teams, where maybe he wouldn't be so sure that they've got the race pace advantage, say if it was a Ferrari or if it was a McLaren possibly. He'll have more confidence that even if it's not into term one, he'll be able to get past Pierre Gassley at some point. I'm still not very certain that will happen, but he's going to be more certain it will happen

with Gassley than maybe some of his other rivals. But yeah, in terms of his pace, this probably should have been a pole position for George Russell. Another thing that we discussed midweek and has been a hot topic all weekend long is how teammates might help each other to get the most out of qualifying. We know the slipstream, the toe is very, is very, very important. And so, you know, potent around this track. And I'll get on to some of the other instances where either this has been a success or a failure. But we knew that with Antonelli starting at the back of the grid,

the only reason Antonelli is in this qualifying session and competing is to get as far as he can to ultimately help George Russell in Q3. Now, Mercedes were very generous in giving Kimmy Antonelli a run by himself without a toe separate to everyone just for a bit of fun. But the only reason he's there, the only reason they are desperate for him to advance to Q3 is to give that toe to George Russell. It was interesting the way that they played it, though,

because in other instances where we saw the toe deployed, it was largely used in the final part of the lap, sort of going into parabolica. and I guess the difference with what they did is that they felt it was more beneficial going into turn one. Now, Mercedes were very quick in the first part of the lap, so maybe they were just looking to extend their advantage there and hold off the rest of the teams for the rest of the lap. I was surprised they did it that way

and that other teams had reached a different conclusion that that wasn't. the best place to do it. Whether it's cost in pole, I mean, the margins are pretty slender, maybe. But yeah, I was surprised about that. Speaking of Antonelli as well, it was a disappointment that he couldn't be a factor in the race for pole position. I think with Monza, it's just more than merrier. The more cars you can get in that fight for pole position, the better spectacle it's going to be. And we knew going into that Q3 session that at least one of these drivers literally cannot be on pole position.

It's a shame because I think his pace was good enough that he would have been there or thereabouts. He was the fastest driver in Q2. He did a pretty good lap I thought just by himself. Again, no advantage of slipstream whatsoever. It was pretty competitive even with that disadvantage. And his fastest lap in Q2 would have been good enough for third place in Q3.

Of course, track evolution might have allowed him to go even quicker. and again, fight for poll. Not to be, obviously, with the necessary penalty. And I stand by what I said midweek, that this is one of the best places to take a grid penalty. And I applaud Mercedes for taking the emotion out of the decision, obviously a home grand prix for Antonelli, and sticking to their guns and ensuring that they are thinking of the bigger picture,

which is, of course, the World Championship. Fascinated to see how many positions he makes up tomorrow. That could be, that can make for some very interesting TV. And before I head to a break, just to discuss McLaren very quickly. So contrasting fortunes in terms of Q3, Piastri in third place, and he was second place after the first runs, still very much in the mix. Lando Norris, a few attempts back in ninth. Yeah, Lando Norris couldn't really hook together the lap,

in a similar way to George Russell, really, in that if you put all of Lando Norris's best sectors together, he's pretty much there with this teammate. There's barely anything in it. But because he left a couple attempts on the table, that's all it takes at Monza, he's got a number of cars separating the two of them. Now, whether that's the case going into race day, I'm not sure based on a potential penalty coming for Piastri being investigated for potentially impeding Liam Lawson. I'll be honest. I will be utterly sure. I will be utterly sure. shocked if he doesn't get a penalty for that, feels like a three-place grid penalty. But that news is to be determined, as I'm recording this pretty much straight after the

session. But even if Piastri does pick up a three-place grid penalty, he will still have a couple of cars between himself and Lando Norris. But McLaren, who obviously looked very good at Zamvort, very good at the Hungara Ring, we were wondering going into this race, whether, or this weekend, whether they're they would have the pace at a different type of track, and that would help inform us as to whether a championship challenge, probably in the hands of Lando Norris,

would be possible this year or not. Early signs, not good. Because, again, whilst Piastri has finished third here, he's finished behind two different teams with the same engine. And honestly, that's maybe better than it was going to look for some of this session. The pace was okay, but that car looked at. absolute handful to drive. Piastri on a couple of occasions, I think, going deep into term one, Landon Norris doing the same thing. Breaking, Landon Norris had a lot of commentary

on his breaks throughout. It felt like versus previous years at Monza, there was a real struggle to find that grip. And that makes sense. The regulations as they are right now, smaller tires, less grip. It wasn't just a McCarran specific. issue. A lot of these teams were struggling for grip, but maybe more so with McLaren than other teams. They don't seem to have an advantage at a track that doesn't contain a lot of medium-speed corners as Zambort does and as Hungary does. We'll see how they get on in the race, but Lando Norris is going to have quite a bit of work to do from 9th. And Piastri, who, again, I'd be shocked if he doesn't actually start this race sick rather than third, he's going to have some work

too. I'm going to take a quick break, but on the other side, we are still going to get into Ferrari, Red Bull, and then all the way throughout Q2 and Q1. Welcome back, everyone. As you've probably noticed, I'm riding solo today with Harry elsewhere and Sam at a wedding. Now, listeners of the podcast will know how much of a Ghazly fan Sam is,

and he's devastated to not be here on the one episode that he's managed to get a pole position. But from a noisy wedding, we do have a little bit of commentary from a very own Sam Sage. Oh my God, are you freaking kidding me? I'm the old gasoline at this bowl. I'll be wagging sausages out for everyone all night long. Big time sausages out. That is an excited man. And rightly so, rightly so.

but needed to make sure that Sam's reaction was captured at least somewhere here. But we're going to move on to Ferrari. P4 and P5, which I don't know what to make of this result, in all honesty. If you'd have asked me before the weekend, I would have said, yeah, that feels about right. If you'd have asked me after practice yesterday, I would have said, that's a slight disappointment. And then if you'd ask me after Q2, I'd have said,

that's a pretty good result. And I think we've just ended up with where I probably was at the beginning, which is this is fine. We knew that Ferrari this wouldn't be their track just based on the need for the power unit to be strong. And whilst it's not a million miles off, we know that based on the duo reviews, and I know that's not everything to do with the engine,

as evidenced by today, as we know from those reviews, they are still lacking versus Red Bull and Mercedes. So I think a poll position was going to be a long shot for them. They've made a solid attempt of it, both LeCler and Hamilton, who themselves are separated by 7,000ths of a second. Both of them only just, only two temps away from the poll time.

Most of that time as well is the first sector, where Mercedes seemed to have a real advantage. Red Bull, even more of a disadvantage, to be fair, but Ferrari just a little bit off. The final part of the lap was pretty good for them. I believe Charlechle might have been the fastest car in the final sector, but ultimately just not quite enough grunt in that engine to get it done. But P4 and P5, which again could turn to P3 and P4,

leaves them in an all right spot. Bear in mind that Gassley's teammate is down in eighth. Piastri, even if he starts third, his teammates down in ninth. And Russell's teammate, of course, is starting from the back of the grid, meaning that we've got quite a few teams that are going to be somewhat separated. And I don't know how much strategy and sort of teamwork is going to come into proceedings tomorrow. But if it does, Ferrari are better positioned to do that than any of their rivals. Leclair and Hamilton were both pretty fortunate to make Q3.

They were 9th and 10th in the second part of qualifying. And they were lucky. I did not think that they were going to get through. As is usually the case with these top teams, the first run in Q2 is often done on a used set. and that left them struggling a little bit going into the final runs where LeCleur was just about provisionally in. He was 9th at the time. Hamilton provisionally out in 11th.

Now Hamilton has this weekend the call to choose whether he goes first or second, quite important a Monza again because of the slipstream. So Lecler is essentially giving the toe to Lewis Hamilton on. that last run in Q2. And yet, it still didn't give much. Like, Charles LeClaire's out by himself with nothing in front of him, hoping that the ninth place he's already got is going to be enough. Fortunately for him it was.

And Lewis Hamilton, who has the slipstream, put in an advantageous position, but just not able to deliver a very good lap at all in that final run in Q2. And to the point where, even though he improved just, Bortoletto did not need to improve by much in order to knock Lewis Hamilton back out again. It was 1,000th of a second separating those two. And Bortoletto, as was demonstrated at least on the sky broadcast by Karun Chandok between Q2 and Q3, Bortoleto had a moment going through the Ascari chican that I don't think cost him a huge amount,

but he didn't need to cost him a huge amount because it's just 1,000th separating the two of them. If he doesn't have that wobble mid-corner, Borotetto makes Q3 and Hamilton's got a lot more work to do. Because again, it's not just the difference between 10th and 11th, it's the difference between 11th and the opportunity to do far better in Q3,

which he was able to do. Hamilton and LeClair, I think, set pretty good lap times to get 4th and 5th. They were both, unlike some of the other drivers we've discussed, very close to their best theoretical lap times. So I give them both credit for what they were able to do, even if Ferrari were slightly fortunate they were there in the first place. Race pace looked pretty reasonable on Friday for Ferrari,

maybe not quite on the pace of Mercedes, but equally they didn't look too far off, and they did look better than McLaren. So I wouldn't be surprised at all if we see one Ferrari, on the podium, maybe both. Red Bull. So Max Verstappen, sixth place, just under three tenths away

from the poll time of Pierre Gas. I'm just going to keep saying that until it sounds like it's real because it still doesn't quite yet. Yeah, Vastappen just under three tenths away from the poll time. Lawson will be starting from the back of the grid anyway,

thanks to a penalty, but he was 14th in this session, didn't make it through to Q3. Lawson, pretty unimpressed with the way that Red Bulls, managed the second part of qualifying as he was put into a lot of traffic on what should have been his fastest lap going into turn one. And even though Red Bull couldn't have predicted that Piastri was literally going to be on

the racing line through that corner, again, should get a penalty for it. Even if that didn't happen, there was a lot of traffic in and around that first and second corner that makes you wonder why Red Bull timed it the way that they did. And Lawson was going to the back of the grid anyway. So from his perspective, even though he will be frustrated because he would have wanted to have set the best lap time possible. He's still looking to impress the team to be there next year at Racing Bulls, obviously. In terms of his result, it didn't matter at all.

But it might have hurt Max Verstappen. Now, based on the way that the final runs in Q3 work, because everyone is so bunched together anyway, slipstream and teamwork maybe becomes less important for that final run because unless you are the lead car, as Piastri was in Q3, everyone else behind is going to get something of a toe. But in that first run, at least, we saw a lot more teamwork.

And Red Ball, of course, did not have the opportunity to do so because Liam Lawson wasn't there. So by, I don't want to say Red Bull screwed over Liam Lawson because it certainly wasn't intentional to put him in traffic. But their decision to put him there has ultimately not actually cost Liam Lawson. It's cost Max Verstappen an opportunity at having that tow. Vastappan himself has still done a very reasonable job. Similar to the Ferraris, all of his best sectors kind of came on that last lap. So I think he's done about as much as he could have done.

but what is fascinating about, and this applies to the racing balls as well, is that the best, I don't want to say power unit, the best ICE as judged by the FIA and judged by the FIA twice now. They've done two reviews was really bad in the first sector, where there is literally one corner. It is straight, chicane, I mean, it's a curve, but it's a flat out curve. Like you are pretty much permanently outside of that corner on full on the throttle. And yet despite that, the Mercedes were almost like blanket top eight like the fastest cars.

Like we saw with the Williams, for example, just to jump about a bit, Carlos Sines was quicker than almost anyone in that first part of the lap. Now, Williams were terrible for the rest of it. But it goes to show just how powerful that Mercedes power unit was. in that first part of the lap. Ferrari couldn't quite live with that, and Red Bull even more so. They were dropping a couple attempts to most of their rivals just in that first sector. And you look at where Vastappan has ended up, and you think, well, if that wasn't the case, he wouldn't be that far away from pole.

Like, based on the second and third sectors, they were pretty much there or thereabouts. But yeah, that first sector, it just goes to show that, again, a duo and the, way that it works right now is not great and does need some adjustment. Mercedes very clearly have the best combination of power unit and battery, and that's what should be judged. I mean, Vastappen not being in the fight is one thing. Pierre Gasly and Alpine getting pole should be the sirens going off in the background. Like something's not right here.

The Mercedes power unit is clearly quite good and it should be reflected in what we're doing. But yeah, sixth place for Vestappen gives him something to work with. I don't know what the race pace is going to be like for Red Bull. It hasn't been great at a few other circuits recently. But Mons is a separate beast. So if he can stay in the slipstream, stay in, you know, in contention within one second of cars ahead, then he might be able to do something. Maybe a podium is not off the cards.

Lawson, obviously, we knew this anyway. Going to have a bit of work to do from the back row of the grid. but maybe not the end of the world for him in the, sure, he wants to accrue as many points as possible and starting at the back of the grid doesn't help him, shock. But it's not just about points this year for Liam Lawson. It is also showing his bosses at Red Bull at Racing Bulls that he deserves to be there.

He wants the opportunities to impress, regardless of which team it's at. He has an opportunity to do that from the back of the grid. He's going to have an opportunity to put on a bit of an overtaking clinic, maybe not quite to the same level that Ancinelli will at Mercedes, but he's going to have a better car than a lot of the at least initial drivers that are going to be around him could make that work. Speaking of Red Bull, just to speak on the rest of the Red Bull family, because Limblud made it through to Q3,

Yuki Sonoda did not make it through to Q3. In fact, he didn't make it through to Q2, knocked out in 17, so seven positions separating Limbluda and Sonoda. Limblatt just, I mean, again, it's Monza. He's half a second off the poll time in Q3 and at a lot of other tracks, half a second, that's going to get you maybe sixth. Not the case at Monza.

Just, I know I keep repeating sort of the same point for a few drivers here, similar to Lando Norris. He didn't hook the sectors together. And he was very good in the final part of the lap. We saw a few times throughout the three sessions where he would, he'd pop up with a purple final sector, but not quite enough in the first part of the lap. But still, to get through to Q3, he's on a bit of a run

that I haven't noted down how many in a row it is now, but I think it's maybe seven or so in a row where he's made it through to the final part of qualifying, which in obviously a pretty good car, but definitely not a front-running car. Very good job. I don't know if there was something up with Yuki Sanoda's car. there was a bit of a bit of discussion as to whether he would even make the session with some worries beforehand.

He did, but he's ended a long way off his teammate, about a second, I believe, off the overall pace in Q1 and quite a difference between himself and Limbludd. When you have a teammate that's making it through to Q3, when you're not able to make it out of Q1, that's that ain't great, to put it mild. Now, Sonoda obviously has the excuse that he's only been in this car for what will be his second race weekend. But we have seen at Monza before, like substitute appearances. They can come together quite quickly. Like Nick DeVries was able to score points here for Williams a few years back. It's not impossible to be a substitute at Monza. So there will be some disappointment that Sonoda hasn't been able to push on from that 17th place.

Just to head outside the top 10 briefly to touch on a couple of the other teams that we haven't mentioned. Audi, 11th and 13th, Portoletto and Holkenberg, respectively. I think they'll be okay with this, in all honesty. Now, it's not as good as it has been at some other tracks. Certainly Bortoletto, as of late, has had a few really good Q3 appearances. Holkenberg, of course, has scored points at the last couple of Grand Prix as well. I think going into this weekend, Audi likely knew that this wasn't going to be their type of track because whilst the chassis is is pretty good for a midfield team,

the power unit as of yet isn't. We know they are one of those power units at least 4% behind that of Red Bull. I actually thought it might be slightly worse than this. I thought they might be struggling to even make it through to Q2. And instead, they are still pretty comfortably ahead of Hass and Williams. And as mentioned before, Portoleto was just one thousand. thousandth away from getting through to the final part of qualifying. So I actually think this will be a... They'll look at this with some optimism and think, well, actually, we might not be that far away in terms of the power unit.

It's starting to come together. And they might well score some points from 11th and 13th. Who knows? Less likely for points, maybe. Hasse and Williams, at least with Hasse. I mean, Bearman's 12th, so he might have a good opportunity. Ocon down in 16th, and there was about seven-tenths or so separating the two of them. It's not looking good for us about O'Con right now,

because whilst there is the excuse this weekend that Bayerman has the upgraded Ferrari power unit, O'Con doesn't, so you would expect there to be some gap. I'm not sure it can fully explain the gap that we're seeing here of seven-tenths. The other maybe slightly confusing thing is the majority of that time is actually in the middle sector, which is the sector that you need the power unit the least. I think one potential explanation for this is that whilst you could say, whilst you can say some weekends, well, this team and this team,

they have got the same lap time, therefore the power unit is exactly the same. Like their sector times are the same. They are as good as each other. These sectors are connected. So you could maybe point to the middle sector and say, well, that's confusing. But it might just be the Ocon in order to get the most out of the power unit in the first and final sector,

he's having to do more than Berman is, because Berman's got a better engine to start with. As a result of that, he's losing a bit more downforce in his setup than maybe Berman is in his. And that can maybe go a little bit to explain the middle sector discrepancy. But, I mean, Ockon was struggling to make it through to Q2 and Berman quite comfortably, the lead of the two here. Williams, I haven't got much to say there other than two very telling things. Number one, when you're having to use teamwork and sacrificing a driver just to get the other one through to Q2, that is an indication you are not in a great spot as a team. And second of all, what Alpine did is proof that if you have the power unit and an okay enough car,

you can make it work at this circuit. The fact that Williams haven't been able to do or replicate anything close to what Alpine, another midfield team using a Mercedes power unit, the fact that they haven't been able to replicate that even a little bit, extremely worrying.

Yeah, they should have been fighting for, let's say, a Q3 appearance, but Carla Sines even, and I don't put this on Carla Sines at all, I think he's done about as much as he could have done. They're still a second away from. from making it to Q3.

Oh, and Honda's really slow. I don't really have anything to say about Honda outside of, they were, at least on Friday, I don't know I haven't got the results in for today. They were about 50 kilometres an hour down on Ferrari just in a straight line or going over the start, finish straight. This weekend is exposing how far away that Honda power unit is because we know at a circuit where it's less important

i.e. Zamvort, Alonzo was able to get a couple of points. I don't think they're scoring points this weekend. And I'll just finish up by giving my driver of the session. I mean, I wasn't actually trying to add any intrigue there, but it's Pierre Gassley, isn't it? I'll make the same point that I did before. An Alpine getting pole position, that by itself is almost reason enough to give someone driver of the session. but his teammate is not alongside him. There are four tenths separating himself and his teammate.

He was able to make that advantage work in the middle and final sectors. So to get the pole position, amazing, but this isn't just a, well, they've got the Mercedes power unit, therefore they should be quick here. So of McLaren, so of Mercedes themselves. He did a brilliant job and his consistency throughout all three parts of qualifying. Absolutely brilliant. Well, that's going to do it for today's qualifying review. You will be delighted to hear, as will my voice, that I won't be alone tomorrow, as Sam and Harry will both be here to review,

what I'm sure is going to be a very interesting Italian GP. Can Pierre Gasly hold on to the position that he's gone in qualifying? How far will Antonelli get through the field? How will Ferrari do in front of the Tafosi? All of those questions to be answered tomorrow. In the meantime, make sure you join our Discord. The link is in the description. Thousands of people in the chat,

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