Lewis Hamilton did not hold back his frustration after the Italian Grand Prix qualifying session, describing Ferrari's handling of the final phase as "pretty bad". The Scuderia had entered the weekend with realistic hopes of challenging for pole at their home circuit, yet they never truly entered the mix during any of the knockout rounds. In the end, three Mercedes‑powered cars, including an unexpected pole from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, left Ferrari trailing in Q3.
Because Oscar Piatri received a three‑place grid penalty, Charles Leclerc will line up on the second row in third place, with Hamilton occupying the fourth slot. That outcome may actually be a small blessing, given that the Ferrari drivers had only managed ninth and tenth fastest times in Q2. Hamilton himself escaped a shocking early elimination by a razor‑thin margin of 0.001 seconds, edging out Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
When reflecting on his own performance, Hamilton explained to Sky Sports F1 that the session was dominated by drivers seeking a slip‑stream boost, often referred to as a "tow", to maximise straight‑line speed on Monza’s long straights. "It was definitely very, very tough," the five‑time champion said. "The car felt really good in practice and in qualifying – I didn’t change anything, so I went into Q1 feeling confident, and Q1 was solid." He went on to describe a series of puzzling setbacks in the following phases.
"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 said.
The lack of pace persisted into Q3, where he felt the execution 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 change. It’s all about getting into rhythm, and I got really out of rhythm for Q3, run one." He added that the second attempt in Q3 was not disastrous, but the reference points were different and the team failed to extract the maximum performance.
"Q3, run two, it wasn’t a terrible lap but the references were all different, and we ultimately didn’t maximise," Hamilton concluded. Leclerc, who qualified third, echoed similar sentiments, calling the session "a big struggle" and pointing to a range of background issues that hampered the team.
"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," he said. He praised Gasly and Alpine for their flawless execution, noting that they had surprised many in the paddock by delivering a perfect performance. "I’m very happy for Pierre, by the way," Leclerc added.
Both drivers agreed that while pole was out of reach, a single place higher on the grid could have been realistic if Ferrari had managed to recover the lost time. "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 maximising everything and today we didn’t," Leclerc explained.
Despite the qualifying disappointment, Ferrari still sit on the front row for Sunday’s race and cannot be dismissed as title contenders. Mercedes’ George Russell is likely to start second and will be the favourite to win, but the Italian team retains a realistic shot at victory, especially after introducing an upgraded power unit for Monza.
Hamilton acknowledged that Mercedes still enjoys a straight‑line speed advantage, even though Ferrari’s car feels strong overall. "I think we have a really great car," Hamilton 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, which could level the playing field. "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 the strategic element of energy deployment during the race, suggesting that clever management of the hybrid system on the high‑speed lap could provide overtaking opportunities despite Mercedes’ straight‑line dominance.
"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 said. "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: the F3 Feature Race at 7:10 am, the F2 Feature Race at 8:40 am, the Porsche Supercup at 10:40 am, followed by the build‑up to the Grand Prix at 12:30 pm.
The Italian Grand Prix itself will start at 2 pm, with the chequered flag expected around 4 pm, and post‑race analysis slated for 5 pm on Sky Sports Main Event. For fans watching from home, the race will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1 via NOW, with a flexible subscription that can be cancelled at any time. The Monza circuit, known for its high‑speed layout and passionate Tifosi, promises another dramatic chapter in the 2024 Formula 1 season, and both Hamilton and Leclerc will be keen to turn their qualifying setbacks into a strong race result.