Qualifying for the last European Grand Prix at the fabled Monza track was completed earlier today. Come with me below the fold to see who starts on Pole tomorrow…
Mercedes’ Hamilton quickest in Quali at Monza, teammate Rosberg just behind; Williams’ Bottas back in the top 3
On one of the rare fair weather Qualifying days of the 2014 Formula 1 season and at the venerable temple of speed known as Monza, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was able to edge out his teammate and archrival Nico Rosberg for Pole under sunny Italian skies by less than two tenths. The German Drivers’ Championship points leader had been vying for his 5th consecutive Pole before being pipped by his English adversary. Despite Hamilton’s limited practice time on Friday due to hydraulic issues he showed once again that for pure raw speed he’s hard to beat. Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, also in a Mercedes-engined car, was once again extremely competitive and took 3rd place on the grid for Sunday’s race. Veteran teammate Felipe Massa was less than two tenths behind the young Finn to secure 4th position.
The Mercedes-powered McLarens of Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button had strong showings grabbing 5th and 6th respectively despite furious speculation that one or both drivers might be replaced in 2015 when the team switches to Honda power. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso could manage no better than 7th position in front of the rabid tifosi but at least he was spared Kimi Raikkanonnen’s lackluster fate, a desultory exit out of Q2 with a time only good for 12th overall. The nimble Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo suffered with straight line speed on a Monza circuit where that is paramount: Vettel placed 8th and Riccciardo 9th. Force India’s Sergio Perez took the last top 10 grid spot with a decent 10th, bettering his much-lauded teammate Nico Hulkenberg (14th) for a second week in a row.
Top 10 Qualifiers for the Italian Grand Prix:
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:25.363 | 1:24.560 | 1:24.109 | 20 |
| 2 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:25.493 | 1:24.600 | 1:24.383 | 19 |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Mercedes | 1:26.012 | 1:24.858 | 1:24.697 | 16 |
| 4 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams-Mercedes | 1:25.528 | 1:25.046 | 1:24.865 | 17 |
| 5 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:26.337 | 1:25.973 | 1:25.314 | 18 |
| 6 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:26.328 | 1:25.630 | 1:25.379 | 18 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:26.514 | 1:25.525 | 1:25.430 | 17 |
| 8 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:26.631 | 1:25.769 | 1:25.436 | 18 |
| 9 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:26.721 | 1:25.946 | 1:25.709 | 17 |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India-Mercedes | 1:26.569 | 1:25.863 | 1:25.944 | 23 |
Complete Qualifying results at Formula1.com.
Tomorrow’s Gran Premio d’Italia airs live beginning at 7:30am Eastern and can be seen in the U.S. on NBCSN.