Lewis Hamilton will start F1’s first race at Mugello from pole position after setting the fastest time in qualifying for the Tuscan Grand Prix.
The reigning champion was just 0.05s quicker than teammate Valtteri Bottas, who was denied the chance to set a faster time after Esteban Ocon brought out the yellow flags in the final two minutes of Q3.
The Renault driver spun and beached in the gravel, meaning those who were on track were unable to go quicker. Charles Leclerc was ahead of the incident though, and made the most of his track position to claim a spot on the third row of the grid, just behind the Red Bulls.
Sebastian Vettel narrowly made it through the second session, but he couldn’t match his teammate’s pace, with the Monegasque driver the only Ferrari-powered driver making in into the top 10 shootout.
Pierre Gasly voiced his frustrations over the radio after being knocked out in Q1 just a week after winning his first race. It’s just the second time this year he’s been outqualified by teammate Daniil Kvyat.
George Russell maintained his record of never being beaten by a teammate in qualifying, despite missing all of FP3 with a brake issue, and running through the gravel towards the end of Q1.
Provisional qualifying classification:
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Alexander Albon (Red Bull)
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
6. Sergio Perez (Racing Point)*
7. Lance Stroll (Racing Point)
8. Daniel Ricciardo (Renault)
9. Carlos Sainz (McLaren)
10. Esteban Ocon (Renault)
11. Lando Norris (McLaren)
12. Daniil Kvyat (AlphaTauri)
13. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
14. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
15. Romain Grosjean (Haas)
16. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
17. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
18. George Russell (Williams)
19. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
20. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
*Perez will start one position further back due to a penalty for colliding with Raikkonen in FP2
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