A solid performance from Ferrari

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz produced a solid performance in Sprint Qualifying, the highlight of Saturday at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The Monegasque got off the line really well and was thus able to get ahead of his Spanish team-mate and then move up to sixth when Pierre Gasly crashed out. Carlos crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in seventh place and the pair then maintained those positions to the chequered flag.

One row further forward. Compared to yesterday’s qualifying, Charles and Carlos will move up one row, from fourth to third, because one driver who qualified ahead of them has to take grid penalties. The 72nd Italian Grand Prix, run over 53 laps, equivalent to 306.720 kilometres, will start at 15 CET. 

Charles Leclerc #16

We had a good Sprint Qualifying and maximized our potential, finishing 6th and 7th. Due to Valtteri’s penalty, we will each move up a place and lock out the third row of the grid, which is the best we could have wished for.
I expect the race to be a tough one, because our competitors ahead have had a strong pace all weekend. Our job will be to score as many points as possible, and if we have a perfect race, we can put some pressure on the four cars in front.
Tyre management will be a key factor tomorrow, especially on the first few laps where you have to push and are at risk of tyre degradation. We have some useful data from today and will work on finding the best front-wing setup based on that.

Carlos Sainz #55

Obviously the crash in FP2 didn’t help our preparation for the Sprint Qualifying. My confidence with the car and around that section of the track was a bit compromised and after lap 1, I focused on regaining that confidence little by little. The start wasn’t ideal either, as I has to brake hard when Gasly went into the McLaren and I was stuck behind them, losing a position there.
However, I’m confident that tomorrow we will have new opportunities and we’ll do our best to score a good result. Last but not least, I want to thank our great team of mechanics for getting the car ready for the afternoon session. On to tomorrow.

Laurent Mekies, Racing Director

The result of Sprint Quali was pretty much in line with the performance level seen yesterday in qualifying. Charles and Carlos drove with great concentration for all 18 laps, aware that the slightest mistake could be severely punished on a track that is always demanding. It wasn’t easy for either of them, but they gritted their teeth for the final part of a day that, for various reasons, they had not tackled in 100% great shape physically.
Well done too to all the mechanics who, once again, worked with great energy and at speed to ensure our drivers could tackle this afternoon’s race without any problems. The result means that both cars start tomorrow’s race from the third row of the grid, one higher up than this afternoon.
We are well aware that the characteristics of a track like Monza mean we can expect a very tough race, but we will do everything we can to give our fans something to smile about, be they here at the track or at home.