Lewis Hamilton secured a surprising second place on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc took pole for Ferrari in a qualifying session that descended into farce. The Monegasque driver’s first pole at Ferrari’s home race delighted the tifosi, but the manner in which it was achieved left many questioning the sport’s safety.
The final part of qualifying saw drivers crawl around the Monza circuit, each hoping to gain a slipstream from the car ahead. This tactical brinkmanship backfired when only Leclerc and Carlos Sainz crossed the line in time to start their final hot laps. Hamilton’s time stood for second, with Valtteri Bottas third and Sebastian Vettel fourth.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff summed up the situation: “The problem was everyone wants a slipstream and nobody wants to go first … And then everyone looks like idiots.” Drivers complained of dangerous driving, with Lewis Hamilton stating he “almost crashed a couple of times”. The FIA investigated but issued only reprimands to Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg and Lance Stroll.
Leclerc acknowledged the session was a “big mess” but was happy with his pole. The stewards recommended that the FIA expedite a solution to prevent a recurrence of such dangerous tactics.
