Formula 1 held its Italian Grand Prix at Monza this past weekend. It's the third-oldest purpose-built racetrack on the planet, and even includes an old and rather dangerous-looking oval that, while no longer in use, is accessible on foot if you feel like exploring. It's a deceptively simple-looking track where it's all about top speed, and nailing your braking into the four heavy deceleration zones. Downforce is actually an impediment here, and that means the pecking order that we have become familiar with this season got a little upended.
That was apparent from free practice on Friday, topped by the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, with Carlos Sainz's Williams in third. Verstappen looked quick in his Red Bull, armed with a new Monza-spec rear wing that made his car cut through the air even more efficiently. The McLarens of title contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris got faster through the practice sessions, with the Williams of Alex Albon and Sainz continuing to look strong.
Things often get messy when the cars have to funnel through the first chicane. Credit: Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Qualifying did not go well for the Williams drivers. The time constraints of the qualifying sessions meant neither Albon nor Sainz was able to get their tires into the right temperature window, and the two were relegated in Q2. Hopes of a home pole for Ferrari—and a repeat of last year's win—were not to be, as Leclerc could manage only fourth on the grid. Hamilton was just over a tenth of a second slower in fifth, but would have to take a grid penalty as a consequence of last weekend's Dutch Grand Prix.