Charles Leclerc sends Monza crowd wild by taking Italian GP pole position

Charles Leclerc is the unsurprising name at the top of the starting order for the Italian Grand Prix after claiming pole position, much to the delight of the adoring Tifosi in the Monza crowd.

Qualifying was always going to be a bizarre session, considering the number of grid penalties in play. Nine drivers would not be starting in the same position they qualified in, including some of the bigger names like Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz and championship leader Max Verstappen.

It left Leclerc with only George Russell as a serious challenger for the very first grid box on Sunday. And the Monegasque made sure to produce the result demanded by the home fans to put Ferrari in the best possible starting position to secure what would be a very welcome victory on race day.

Q1 went without a hitch for many of the bigger names, though there was more qualifying disappointment for Sebastian Vettel, out in the first part of the session along with Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll. Haas pair Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen also fell at the first hurdle, as well as Nicholas Latifi.

F1 debutant Nyck de Vries – standing in for Alex Albon as the British-Thai racer is treated for appendicitis – made an excellent first impression by making it through to Q2. It will also not have gone unnoticed that he was quicker than team-mate Latifi, who has had much more time behind the wheel of a Williams.

But a dream appearance in Q3 evaporated when he locked up to ruin his final flying lap, but he can still be very pleased with his afternoon's work. Yuki Tsunoda will start at the back of the grid and didn't bother setting a time in Q2, while Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Esteban Ocon all failed to make the top 10.

To say the Tifosi were chuffed would be an understatement (REUTERS)

Fernando Alonso did, but had his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and so could not set a time. But he will still have a strong starting position by the time penalties for others have been applied.

Leclerc didn't need to go fastest, but did it anyway to secure pole position in style as the Tifosi roared their approval. Verstappen finished second but will start further back due to his grid penalty, while third-placed Sainz will be sent to the back of the grid.

With penalties also for Hamilton and Sergio Perez, George Russell will share the front row with Leclerc while McLaren will be happy with their result, with Lando Norris third and Daniel Ricciardo, who needed a strong result after his recent struggles, two places behind, sandwiching Verstappen.

2022 Italian Grand Prix provisional starting grid

1. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
2. George Russell – Mercedes
3. Lando Norris – McLaren
4. Daniel Ricciardo – McLaren
5. Pierre Gasly – AlphaTauri
6. Fernando Alonso – Alpine

7. Max Verstappen – Red Bull*

8. Nyck de Vries – Williams
9. Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo
10. Nicholas Latifi – Williams
11. Sebastian Vettel – Aston Martin
12. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin

13. Sergio Perez – Red Bull*

14. Esteban Ocon – Alpine*

15. Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo*
16. Kevin Magnussen – Haas*
17. Mick Schumacher – Haas*
18. Carlos Sainz – Ferrari*
19. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes*
20. Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri*

* Asterisk denotes driver has received a grid penalty for the race