Lewis Hamilton expressed clear 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 challenging for pole on Saturday evaporated. The expectations were high for Ferrari at their home circuit in Monza, where they had been tipped as serious contenders for the top spot.
However, throughout the knockout sessions they never truly entered the fight, ultimately being outpaced in the decisive Q3 by three Mercedes-powered cars, including an unexpected pole position claim from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. A post‑qualifying grid penalty for Oscar Piastri, which dropped him three places, meant that Charles Leclerc and Hamilton would still line up on the second row, occupying third and fourth positions respectively.
While this outcome may look favourable on paper, it masks the underlying issues that surfaced during the session. Both Ferrari drivers had only managed ninth and tenth fastest times in Q2, and Hamilton narrowly avoided an early elimination at the hands of Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, missing out by a razor‑thin 0.001 seconds. Reflecting on his run, Hamilton, who posted the fifth‑quickest time overall, told Sky Sports F1 that the session had been "very, very tough." He noted that the car felt strong in practice and the early part of qualifying, and he had not altered the setup for Q1, which produced a solid performance.
The difficulty began to emerge in Q2, where the team waited an unusually long period in the pit lane before the first flying lap. "For some reason we just didn't have the pace," Hamilton said, speculating that tyre pressures, temperatures, or another unknown factor may have been to blame, and that the team would need to investigate further.
The problems compounded in Q3. Hamilton described his final run as ending "in the middle of nowhere" with no reference car to follow, forcing him to brake much later into corners than his rivals. He explained that without a consistent tow, the rhythm of the lap was broken, and the braking distances changed dramatically.
"It's all about getting into rhythm, and I got really out of rhythm for Q3, run one," he said. In the second attempt, although the lap was not terrible, the reference points were different, and the team failed to extract the maximum performance.
Charles Leclerc, who qualified third, echoed similar sentiments, calling the session "a big struggle" and pointing to a host of background issues that the team had to manage. He acknowledged that many teams faced difficulties, given Monza’s reputation as one of the most demanding circuits for power‑unit optimisation.
Nevertheless, he praised Alpine for executing a flawless qualifying, saying, "Pierre and Alpine did everything perfect and surprised everyone in the paddock. I'm very happy for Pierre, by the way." Leclerc added that while pole was out of reach, a one‑place improvement was realistic, and the team needed to focus on maximising every element of the car’s performance.
He admitted that the team had not achieved that on Saturday and that the task now was to recover the lost ground during the race. Despite the setbacks in qualifying, Ferrari remains positioned at the front of the Sunday grid and cannot be dismissed as a race‑winning threat. Mercedes driver George Russell is likely to start second and will be the favourite to take the victory, but Ferrari’s upgraded engine package for Monza was intended to close the straight‑line speed gap.
Hamilton, however, conceded that Mercedes still enjoys an advantage on the high‑speed sections. "I think we have a really great car," he said, "but it's all Mercedes engines up ahead of us and they are still gaining several tenths on the straight.
That's the reality, and we have to do the best we can." He also expressed optimism that future circuits might not rely as heavily on outright power, which could level the playing field. Hamilton thanked the Ferrari factory team for delivering an upgrade for Monza, acknowledging their hard work and the challenging situation they find themselves in.
Leclerc highlighted the strategic element of energy deployment as a potential equaliser during the race. While Mercedes boasts superior straight‑line speed, Ferrari is strong in the corners. Leclerc warned that on the long straights the Scuderia would be exposed, making overtaking difficult, but clever management of the hybrid boost could create overtaking opportunities.
"The deployment could make a huge difference one way or another and give us the chance to overtake," he said, emphasizing the need for intelligent racecraft. Looking ahead, the race weekend schedule includes a series of support events: 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 main Grand Prix build‑up and the Italian Grand Prix itself at 2 pm, with the chequered flag expected around 4 pm. The event will also be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and streamed via NOW for subscribers.
In summary, Hamilton’s criticism of Ferrari’s qualifying execution underscores the fine margins that separate success from disappointment at Monza. While the team has made technical strides with a new engine, the combination of tyre management, timing, and on‑track rhythm proved elusive in the knockout stages. Both Hamilton and Leclerc recognise the challenges but remain confident that strategic energy use and race‑day execution could still deliver a strong result for the Scuderia, keeping the fight for victory very much alive despite a less‑than‑ideal start.