Saturday: Mercedes AMG F1 locks out the front row, Hamilton on pole
The Mercedes team locks out the front row of the starting grid once again. Lewis Hamilton delivers an excellent performance to seize pole position. Nico Rosberg has to settle for second place but remains determined for the Sunday race.
Lewis Hamilton (no. 44) – 1st and 1st
Victim of numerous problems in qualifying since the beginning of the year, the Englishman couldn’t hide his joy in the press conference: « It is a great feeling to be on pole here at Monza and I am very excited for tomorrow’s race. It’s a huge relief to have a clean qualifying session, the first in a while! A big thank you to all the guys in the garage, I am very proud of how they have worked this year and how they have managed the ups and downs. They have done a superb job. »
He then passes on a message to his teammate: « Tomorrow, work will be as usual, we are free to race, and I hope we achieve a good result for the team, hopefully a one-two finish. The other Mercedes-powered cars seem strong here too, so it should be an exciting race. I can’t wait to be there. »
Nico Rosberg (No. 6) – no time and 2nd
After extensive work on his F1 car at the start of the day, the German was able to participate in the qualification. Furthermore, thanks to the adjustments made with the help of the engineers at the Brackley factory, he was able to greatly improve the car’s performance.
He says about the qualification: « Today, Lewis was faster, but starting from second place here at Monza is still a very good position to win. I will need to have a good start with a strong race pace, but I am confident I can put everything together tomorrow. So I am really looking forward to the race. There is always an excellent atmosphere at Monza and it’s great to drive on this great track with our phenomenal Silver Arrow. »
