Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FERRARI PIPS LEWIS TO POLE
FORMULA ONE
Italian Grand Prix
Today, 2.10pm
LEWIS HAMILTON will be seeing red as he bids to stop the Ferrari party today.
The world champion has the Prancing Horses of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel ahead of him and a fervent Tifosi at Monza to contend with.
It was a frantic final qualifying session for Hamilton who appeared set to secure the front slot of the grid, but he was bumped down to third by the Ferrari duo.
It was an astonishing lap from 38-year-old Raikkonen (right), the fastest ever recorded in Formula One history.
Ferrari’s front-row triumph is their first in Italy since 2000, while it also marked Raikkonen’s first since last year’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who holds a 17-point championship lead over Vettel, set the fastest lap on the opening runs in the shoot-out for pole before Raikkonen took the spoils.
Raikkonen’s lap, which was in excess of an average speed of
163mph, eclipsed the quickest lap, set here by Juan Pablo Montoya for Williams, in 2004.
At 38 years and 320 days Raikkonen is also the oldest pole sitter at an F1 race since 41-year-old Nigel Mansell was on pole at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who was booed by the crowd, said: “They (Ferrari) did a solid job today.
“We gave it everything we could – it’s obviously incredibly close between us, but they’ve had the upper-hand this weekend. Everyone in the team is working as hard as they can to make the difference.
“It’s incredibly close which is great for the sport and great to see so many fans here.”
Raikkonen’s performance delighted the home fans and he added: “It is the best place to be, and it went right in the end. Being one and two is great for Ferrari, but it is only half the job done.”
Vettel added: “It wasn’t my best lap, but well done to Kimi. I am not entirely happy with the end of my qualifying and that is the emotion that is dominating now. It says passion on the Ferrari banner and that is exactly what the fans have.”
Valtteri Bottas was a distant fourth for Mercedes, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fifth and Romain Grosjean sixth.
Stoffel Vandoorne qualified last for a second successive weekend, slower than team-mate Fernando Alonso, who finished 13th.
Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg will be last on the grid after he was penalised 10 places for his role in last weekend’s first-corner crash. Daniel Ricciardo is also set to be on the back row after the Red Bull man was hit with a series of penalties for using new engine parts.