Lewis Hamilton expressed strong disappointment with Ferrari's handling of the final phase of qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix, describing it as "pretty bad" after the Scuderia's hopes of contesting pole position evaporated on Saturday. The expectation heading into Monza was that Ferrari would be in the mix for the top spot, yet the team never truly featured in the knockout battles.
In the decisive Q3 session, three Mercedes-powered cars outpaced the Italian squad, with Alpine's surprise pole‑sitter Pierre Gasly leading the way. A post‑qualifying penalty for Oscar Piastri, which dropped him three places on the grid, meant that Charles Leclerc and Hamilton would line up on the second row in third and fourth positions respectively. While that outcome might appear favourable, it masks the underlying issues that plagued Ferrari during the session. Both of the team's drivers had only managed ninth and tenth fastest times in Q2, and Hamilton narrowly avoided an early elimination, edging out Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto by a mere 0.001 seconds.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the British driver, who qualified fifth, admitted the session was "very, very tough". He noted that the car had felt strong throughout practice and the opening qualifying round, but something went wrong in the middle stages. "The car felt really good in practice and in qualifying I didn't change anything, so I felt good going into Q1, and Q1 was solid," Hamilton said. "Then we sat and waited, and we waited very long in the pit lane for the first run of Q2, and for some reason we just didn't have the pace.
I'm not really sure why, whether it was tyre pressures, tyre temperatures or whatever, so we need to look into that." Hamilton was even more candid about the final segment. "Then execution in Q3 was pretty bad.
I ended up out in the middle of nowhere with nobody, and then when you're following another car, you arrive several kilometres faster into a corner, so the braking distances adjust. It's all about getting into rhythm, and I got really out of rhythm for Q3, run one. Q3, run two, it wasn't a terrible lap but the references were all different, and we ultimately didn't maximise," he explained. Leclerc, who qualified third, echoed the sentiment, calling the session "a big struggle" and attributing the result to a host of background issues.
He highlighted the difficulty of extracting maximum power on Monza's high‑speed layout, noting that many teams were grappling with similar challenges. "I'm pretty sure if we speak in the paddock, everyone had some issues, because it's one of the most difficult tracks to optimise the power unit on. But that's not an excuse," Leclerc said.
He praised Alpine's performance, saying they had done "everything perfect" and deserved credit for their surprise pole. "I'm very happy for Pierre by the way," he added. Both drivers agreed that a better starting position was within reach.
Leclerc believed a one‑place improvement was realistic, but the team failed to capitalise on the opportunities presented. "Now it's our job to try and recover what we kind of lost on our own today. I don't think pole was possible but one place better was probably doable and we need to target on maximising everything and today we didn't," he remarked.
Despite the setbacks, Ferrari remains a front‑runner for Sunday’s race. The team introduced an upgraded power unit for Monza, hoping to close the straight‑line speed gap to Mercedes.
Hamilton, however, conceded that Mercedes still enjoys a measurable advantage on the long straights. "I think we have a really great car," he said.
"It's all Mercedes engines up ahead of us and I think we've done a good job to be as close as we are to them, but they're ultimately gaining several tenths still on the straight. That is what it is, and so we have to just do the best we can." Hamilton also hinted at a strategic shift for future venues, expressing a desire for circuits that do not rely solely on raw power.
He praised Ferrari's engineers for delivering the upgrade, acknowledging their hard work despite the current limitations. "We're hoping for some tracks that don't maybe rely too much on power in the future, but I'm really grateful to the guys back at the factory because they did bring an upgrade here, they are really pushing. This is just the situation that we're in," he added. Leclerc focused on the race itself, suggesting that clever energy deployment could create overtaking chances even on a track where Mercedes dominates the straights.
"On the straights, Mercedes are very strong. In the corners, we are very strong but we are going to be very exposed on the straights and to attack will be difficult," he explained.
"But the deployment could make a huge difference one way or another and give us the opportunity to overtake. We will have to play it smart and see where we end up." The weekend schedule continues with a packed day of support races on Sunday, September 6: an F3 Feature Race at 7:10 am, an F2 Feature Race at 8:40 am, a Porsche Supercup at 10:40 am, followed by the Grand Prix build‑up and the main Italian Grand Prix at 2:00 pm, with the chequered flag ceremony at 4:00 pm. The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and streamed via NOW, with no long‑term contract required.
In summary, while Ferrari's qualifying performance at Monza fell short of expectations, both Hamilton and Leclerc remain optimistic about their chances on race day. The upgraded engine, combined with strategic energy management, could still provide the Italian team with the tools needed to challenge the Mercedes duo and vie for victory on their home turf.