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In front of the Tifosi at Monza, Carlos Sainz delivered a special performance and took the fourth pole position of his Formula 1 career.
Sainz on Monza pole: How qualifying played out
The Spaniard has been on fantastic form in all sessions of the weekend so far, showing good speed on all compounds and on short and long runs. Today, he utilised his great speed, as he fought in a close battle against both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, which is sporting a celebratory livery.
The Monegasque driver was the first to cross the line as they finished their final attempts and went to the top of the leaderboard. A few seconds later, the championship leader completed his lap and he was 54 thousandths of a second faster, thus claiming provisional pole position.
Sainz had a final treat for the Tifosi though, as he edged the Red Bull out by a mere thirteen thousandths of a second. That was pole for Carlos Sainz, his first since last season’s United States Grand Prix.
This marks the second Ferrari pole position, the first coming in Baku by Charles Leclerc. It is also the first pole position for the team on home soil since 2019. In that weekend, Leclerc went on to win the race, to the delight of the crowd.
Pure passion, pure emotion 🥹
Incredible scenes for @CarlosSainz55 in Monza! #ItalianGP #F1 @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/QGkWYK0odc
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 2, 2023
Sainz on Monza pole: The Spaniard’s comments
Sainz spoke about his qualifying effort and his feelings on taking pole in front of the Ferrari fans in Monza:
It has been such an intense qualifying, especially in Q3. We, all three, were very, very much on the limit and in that last lap I knew I had some lap time to come in Ascari and Parabolica and I went for it. It worked well, thank God, because I really pushed hard in that last lap.
I’ve got goosebumps since I crossed the finish line, the whole in-lap, watching the crowd and obviously getting out of the car and seeing them. I haven’t stopped the goosebumps. It is incredible. But in the hotel, arriving to the track, everywhere we go it is just noise, support and encouragement. It is the best feeling you can have as a driver, as an athlete.
Carlos Sainz, who is yet to finish a Grand Prix in the top three this season, also spoke about tomorrow’s race and his chances for a podium, or even a win:
The podium is the number one target. Tomorrow I am going to give it everything to hold onto that P1. A good start, a good first stint and see if we can battle Max. Normally, in the long runs he is quicker, but I am going to give it all.
Sainz is chasing his second Formula 1 victory, the first coming in Silverstone last season. The race will be tough against Max Verstappen though, as the Dutchman is vying for his tenth victory in a row, which will set a new record.
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