(Monza) Carlos Sainz delighted Ferrari fans on Saturday, securing the lead position for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
Sainz, who turned 29 on Friday, eclipsed easily leading driver Max Verstappen by 0.013 seconds.
The Red Bull driver will be looking for his 10th straight victory on Sunday, which would be a record.
“Tell me we made it, tell me we made it,” Sainz said on his team radio after his final lap.
Sainz collected the fourth top spot of his career, his first since Austin last year.
“It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe,” Sainz said. It’s fantastic. The support and the energy of the crowd, it’s incredible. »
He was quickest in two out of three sessions as the Scuderia looked good at home.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start third, ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes.
“Red Bull may well be faster, but we’ll do everything to make it harder for them,” Sainz said. Nothing is impossible (Sunday), especially if you start first. If I have a good start, I will do everything to stay ahead of Max. »
Starting positions seem to matter less at Monza, compared to other tracks.
Since 2018, the only lead holder to have triumphed at the Italian GP has been Leclerc, in 2019.
Verstappen prevailed starting seventh last year. Before that, his best result at Monza was a fifth place.
Verstappen has won 11 out of 13 events this year.
The other two races were won by Sergio Perez, his teammate.
Last weekend in the Netherlands, Verstappen joined Sebastian Vettel with nine wins in a row, taking his overall lead to 138 points.
Perez will start the race fifth, three places ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Canadian Lance Stroll finished 20th with Aston Martin.
“I didn’t have good grip at all and that kept me from going all out,” Stroll said. The race is going to be tough, but we’re going to be ready for anything. »
His teammate Fernando Alonso will start 10th.
“We’re going to hope for an unusual race (ahead of us),” Alonso said. We will be on the lookout for all opportunities. »
