Formula 1 Italian GP
Leclerc: Monza F1 pole "a great surprise" after recent struggles
Charles Leclerc said his pole on Ferrari's home soil at Formula 1's Italian Grand Prix was a "great surprise" after struggling to match Red Bull in previous races.
Filip Cleeren
Edited: Sep 11, 2022, 1:11 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Leclerc was the lone favourite to start Sunday's race from pole given the grid penalties for his teammate Carlos Sainz and both Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
But as Ferrari showed plenty of pace around the cathedral of speed, Leclerc was determined to take pole on merit and duly did with his final run in Q3.
After trailing Sainz by two tenths following the first barrage of runs, the Monegasque set a lap of 1m20.161s to jump Sainz's 1m20.429s.
Verstappen was next across the line, but settled in between the two Ferrari drivers in second after trailing Leclerc by 0.145s, much to the delight of the scarlet tifosi at the start-finish line.
Leclerc admitted his eighth pole of the season was a "very good surprise" after not expecting to be able to defeat Verstappen and Red Bull, given Ferrari struggled at the similarly high-speed Spa.
"It's a very good surprise today, especially where we came from in Spa," he said.
"I did not expect to fight for pole here, so it's great surprise to have pole at home.
"In FP1 and FP2 we tested a lot of things across cars with Carlos and we found different directions that were interesting.
"We were really struggling at Spa, and we found some pace. It shows we are going in the right direction.
"The lap I'm extremely happy with. The first run I didn't do a great lap but then I managed to put everything together."
Polesitter Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
On Friday Leclerc said he was even happier with his Ferrari's race pace than its one-lap potential, and after his pole he re-iterated his confidence that he can finish off the job on Sunday.
"Our race pace is strong, the feeling was really good," he said after steeping out of the car.
"Whatever happens on the first lap, I think we still have the pace to win the race. I think we can have a good Sunday."
Read Also:
- Ferrari explains old F1 floor test in Italian GP practice
- Ferrari chairman backs Binotto but F1 team "needs to improve"
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 Grand Prix qualifying results: Leclerc takes Italian GP pole
Next article Verstappen: "Good chance" of beating Leclerc despite penalty
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Filip Cleeren
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
More from
Charles Leclerc
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
More from
Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Pecco Bagnaia: From kings to princes
MotoGP
MotoGP
Charles Leclerc and Pecco Bagnaia: From kings to princes
Sainz blasts "most unfair penalty ever", seeks stewards' explanation
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Sainz blasts "most unfair penalty ever", seeks stewards' explanation
Calado: "Difficult" for WEC Hypercar newcomers "to win straight off"
WEC
WEC
Calado: "Difficult" for WEC Hypercar newcomers "to win straight off"
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 6 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 6 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
8 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
10 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe