Lewis Hamilton’s F1 Italian GP qualifying delivered mixed emotions for him at Ferrari’s home circuit. Despite securing P5 with a solid 1:19.124 lap time, a grid penalty he picked up at Zandvoort dropped him to P10.
Building weekend momentum
The Ferrari driver showed growing confidence in his machinery throughout the weekend, picking up a P1 finish in FP1 on Friday. Friday’s pace-setting performance raised expectations that Hamilton could challenge for a front-r
Hamilton’s Italian GP qualifying result had him reflecting positively post-session, saying “I think it’s been the progress from last weekend and then we carried that through this week.“
“I’ve been really happy with the car, the progress from FP1, the car felt great. I mean, that’s where it felt really the best. And then we went into FP2, we made changes into qualifying and I think it was the most we could get from it.“
Technical challenges and setup compromises
Hamilton identified specific aerodynamic issues affecting Ferrari’s performance. “Yeah, it’s ultimately a downforce thing. We’re quick on the straight, but then in the middle sector it was three or four tenths, I think it was, and then a couple of tenths in the last sector. So we’re lacking the load, but we’re quick on the straight.“
The set-up dilemma proved particularly frustrating for Hamilton.
“If we went up on wing, for some reason the efficiency is just off. We can’t really catch that four tenths in this middle sector unless we go up a lot, and then just lose it all down the straights. So this is the optimum.”
Race outlook
Hamilton acknowledged the challenge ahead at Monza following his Italian GP qualifying session. “With the penalty, and everyone being so close, it’s going to be tough to overtake everyone ahead of me.”
However, he remains optimistic about his race prospects. “We’ve got good top-line speed, so I’m hoping that I can try to get up some ground. I think to do that would be a good start, good first lap, a good strategy. We’ll go away now and try to figure out what we can do to try to leapfrog the guy ahead as quickly as possible.“
When asked about long-run pace after qualifying, Hamilton offered measured optimism. “The long-run was okay. It wasn’t great with the set-up that we had chosen for the long run. The long-run in FP1 I think was better. I’m hoping tomorrow the long-run will be good. We still have, hopefully, that new straight speed, so hopefully we can get close. Hopefully it’s not a DRS train.“
Team strategy decisions
Hamilton’s Italian GP qualifying saw him questioned about team orders post-session. The British driver maintained his independent stance. “Do I feel that they should have? I don’t. It’s not something I ever did in any of my other teams. Ultimately, you potentially end up sacrificing one of the drivers, and I’ve already got a five place penalty, so points-wise I needed to be as high as I could.“
Sunday’s challenge awaits
Starting from P10, Hamilton’s Italian GP qualifying pace shown throughout the weekend becomes just the foundation for a recovery drive through the field on Sunday. While Hamilton’s qualifying result may not reflect his ultimate pace potential, the foundation is clearly being built for stronger performances as the season progresses.
