Italian GP: Hamilton breaks Monza track record for 94th pole position

Monza (Italy), Sep 5 : Lewis Hamilton took his 94th pole position on Saturday as both the Mercedes drivers broke the track record in the qualification here ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

Hamilton went around the historic track with a fastest time of 1:18.887 while his teammate Valtteri Bottas managed a time of 1:18.956.

Both were faster than the 1:19.119 that Kimi Raikkonen had managed while racing for Ferrari in 2018. Ferrari’s poor run continued this year with both Sebastian Vettel and Charles LeClerc not being able to break into the top 10. It is the first time since 1984 that both Ferrari cars are starting outside the top 10 at Monza.

Vettel was caught out in Q1 which forced him out in the first segment, meaning he will start from P17. Charles Leclerc didn’t fair much better and will start from P13.

McLaren’s Carlos Sanz came out on top in his battle against Racing Point’s Sergio Perez to take the third position. This is the first time since 2012 that a McLaren driver will be starting in the top three of the grid.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start from the fifth position while his teammate Alex Albon will take up P9.

Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.