F1 2023: Sainz goes fastest in Italian GP Qualifying, pole position gets Tifosi roaring!

Formula One returns this weekend for the 15th round of the season i.e. the Italian Grand Prix, being held at the 5.793 km long Autodromo Nazionale di ‘Monza’ in Milan. Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen heads to Monza with a new record in sight – most consecutive F1 Grand Prix wins. With a win at his home race last weekend, the Red Bull posterboy currently sits on nine consecutive wins, on tie with Sebastian Vettel.

However, after going +0.013 seconds faster than Verstappen, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is set to start tomorrow’s race on pole, in front of the team’s home crowd.

Take a look at how the three F1 2023Italian Grand Prix Qualifying sessions went down –
2023 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying 1
With a hot and dry track, the first qualifying was majorly monotonous apart from Ocon’s Alpine going into the gravel on a flying lap. Max Verstappen was the fastest in Q1 with a lap time of 1:21.73, followed by Alex Albon in second and Charles Leclerc in third. Yuki Tsunoda took fourth, followed by Sergio Perez on P5. Zhou Guanyu, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, and Lance Stroll were eliminated after the first qualifying round of the day.
2023 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying 2
As per the new Qualifying rules, all drivers have to use different compounds for all three qualifying rounds, starting from Hard, switching to Mediums in Q2, and finally moving to Softs for the final round. Yet again, it was Verstappen who went fastest in Q2, followed by Ferrari duo Leclerc and Sainz on second and third respectively. Perez took the fourth spot, while Albon finished fifth fastest.

Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Valterri Bottas, and Logan Sargeant did not make it to the third qualifying round, and will be lining up from 11th to 15th on the grid at the Italian GP tomorrow.
2023 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying 3
A tiny error on the flying lap from Championship leader Verstappen saw Ferrari’s Sainz take provisional pole, resulting in roars from the Tifosi at the constructor’s home circuit. After setting another fastest lap, Sainz retained pole with a lap time of 1:20.294, with Verstappen joining him on front row tomorrow. Sainz’s teammate Leclerc took third, and will be sharing the second row with George Russell. Checo Perez will be starting on fifth, alongside Albon on P6. Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso will take P7 to P10 respectively.
Stay tuned to TOI Auto for the 2023 F1 Italian Grand Prix race report tomorrow.