Lewis Hamilton will start the Italian Grand Prix higher than he initially qualified after a rival was handed a post-session penalty.
Ferrari endured an underwhelming Saturday at their home race, with both cars nearly failing to reach the top 10 as Hamilton and Charles Leclerc struggled for power. Hamilton was just 0.001 seconds away from a Q2 exit, while Leclerc was only 0.008 seconds clear of elimination.
Ferrari's damage limitation
Both drivers progressed to Q3 and limited the damage caused by their setup problems, qualifying fourth and fifth, with Leclerc going slightly quicker than Hamilton in the end.
Ferrari received a further boost when Oscar Piastri was penalised. The Kiwi was punished for getting in the way of Liam Lawson during the second part of the session, which cost the New Zealander a chance to make it into Q3 in his second substitute appearance driving for Red Bull, filling in for the injured Isack Hadjar.
Impact on the grid
The penalty affects the front few rows of the Monza grid, moving Hamilton up from his original qualifying position.
