Lewis Hamilton did not mince words after the final segment of qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix, describing Ferrari's execution as "pretty bad" and lamenting that the Scuderia's chances of fighting for pole on the historic Monza circuit had evaporated. Expectations had been high for the home team, with many pundits predicting a strong showing at their own track, yet the Ferraris never truly entered the mix during the knockout rounds. In the decisive Q3 session they were outpaced by three Mercedes-powered machines, the most surprising of which was Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who claimed the top spot on the grid.
The grid penalties handed to Oscar Piastri shifted the starting order further, meaning Charles Leclerc and Hamilton will line up on the second row in third and fourth places respectively. That outcome may actually be a blessing in disguise, considering the Ferraris' performance in Q2 was lackluster – they qualified only ninth and tenth fastest. Hamilton himself escaped an early elimination by a razor‑thin margin of 0.001 seconds, edging out Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. When asked by Sky Sports F1 to reflect on a session dominated by drivers hunting for a slip‑stream boost, the British champion, who posted the fifth‑quickest time overall, admitted the day was "very, very tough".
He explained that the car felt strong throughout the practice and qualifying days and that he entered Q1 with confidence, delivering a solid opening lap. However, after a prolonged wait in the pit lane before the first run of Q2, the team seemed to lose its rhythm. "For some reason we just didn't have the pace," Hamilton said, speculating that tyre pressures, temperatures or another unknown factor might have been to blame and promising that the engineers would investigate further. The real frustration, according to Hamilton, came in Q3.
"Execution in Q3 was pretty bad," he told the broadcaster. "I ended up out in the middle of nowhere with nobody, and when you're following another car you arrive several kilometres faster into a corner, so the braking distances change. It's all about getting into a rhythm, and I got really out of rhythm for Q3, run one." He added that the second attempt in Q3 was not a disaster, but the reference points were different and the team failed to maximise the car's potential.
Leclerc, who finished third in the session, echoed the sentiment, calling the qualifying "a big struggle" and noting that the team faced "many issues in the background" that they had to manage. He acknowledged that Monza is notoriously difficult for power‑unit optimisation, but stressed that this should not be used as an excuse.
"Pierre and Alpine did everything perfect and surprised everyone in the paddock with a flawless performance. I'm very happy for Pierre," Leclerc said, before turning his focus back to the race.
"Now it's our job to try and recover what we lost today. I don't think pole was possible but one place better was probably doable and we need to target maximising everything and today we didn't," he continued. Despite the qualifying disappointment, Ferrari remain on the front end of Sunday's grid and cannot be dismissed as race‑winners. Mercedes' George Russell is likely to start second and will be the favourite, but the Scuderia still has a shot, especially after introducing an upgraded engine for the Monza weekend.
Hamilton acknowledged that the new power unit should have given Ferrari a better chance, yet he believes Mercedes still retains an edge on straight‑line speed. "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." He also expressed hope that future circuits might not rely as heavily on outright power, while praising the Ferrari factory for delivering the upgrade.
"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," Hamilton added. Leclerc highlighted that the race could still present strategic opportunities, especially regarding energy deployment on the high‑speed lap. "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 support series on Sunday: the F3 Feature Race at 7:10 am, the F2 Feature Race at 8:40 am, followed by the Porsche Supercup at 10:40 am. The main Grand Prix build‑up begins at 12:30 pm, with the Italian Grand Prix itself slated for a 2:00 pm start on Sky Sports F1, and post‑race analysis later in the afternoon.
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