Once again, the Sprint race proved influential as plenty of positions changed hands on Saturday in Monza. Valtteri Bottas led from P1 for a lights to flag win, but since he will pick up a grid penalty, pole will go to Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was understandably jubilant and is well placed for a good race, but who else did well for themselves in the new format? Here are some of the best facts and stats from the Sprint…
• Valtteri Bottas will be the second driver to be quickest in qualifying at Monza but not start on pole – the other being Kimi Raikkonen in 2005.
• Max Verstappen has never previously started in the top four at Monza.
• This will be Red Bull’s first Monza pole since 2013 when Sebastian Vettel managed to grab P1.
• This will be Honda’s first Monza pole since 1991, scored with Ayrton Senna.
• Daniel Ricciardo will have his first front row start since Mexico 2018, and the tenth of his career.
• Lando Norris will start from third, making this the best team qualifying for McLaren since Lewis Hamilton left the team. Their previous best was a 1 – 2 scored by Hamilton and Jenson Button in Brazil, 2012.
• McLaren’s only previous front row start since 2021 was Norris at Austria this season.
HIGHLIGHTS: Missed the F1 Sprint at Monza? Catch all the action right here
• Lewis Hamilton’s fourth is the first time he’s been outside the top three at Monza in the hybrid era.
• Hamilton previously started fourth in Austria this season, and finished in the same position.
• Charles Leclerc’s fifth is the same starting slot as Zandvoort, as is Carlos Sainz’s sixth on the grid.
• Antonio Giovinazzi backed up his Q3 appearance yesterday with a strong drive to seventh – also the same starting slot as he had last time out.
• Lance Stroll improved to ninth, and has started in the top 10 in all five of his visits to Monza.
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• Fernando Alonso will start P10, having moved up three places compared to his qualifying performance, one less than he managed to gain at the first Sprint in Silverstone.
• Pierre Gasly will start from the back, having not been lower than 12th all season.
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