Pirelli F1 Italian Grand Prix qualifying review 03.09.2016: 2016 Italian Grand Prix, Qualifying Saturday, September 3rd, 2016 - Lewis Hamilton claims pole position: 2.2 seconds faster than

2016 Italian Grand Prix, Qualifying
Saturday, September 3rd, 2016




- Lewis Hamilton claims pole position: 2.2 seconds faster than 2015 pole, using P Zero supersoft tyres

- As in Belgium, soft tyres chosen in Q2 by Mercedes drivers, who will start the race on this compound

- Teams will choose between one and two-stop strategies tomorrow, according to race circumstances




Temperatures remained warm in qualifying for the Italian grand prix, with track temperatures of 44 degrees centigrade and 31 degrees ambient as the session got underway at the ‘Temple of Speed’.


In the past, strategy has tended to focus on a one-stopper for the Italian Grand Prix, but the introduction of the supersoft tyre for the first time – with three compounds now nominated for each race – could bring in a new variable with a two-stopper chosen by some drivers.


For the last six years, the driver starting from pole position has won at Monza, making qualifying absolutely crucial. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton took pole, as he did last year (when he claimed a grand slam with fastest lap and race victory too) using the supersoft tyre smashing the 2015 pole time by around 2.2 seconds.


Ferrari was the only team to get through Q1 using the soft tyres only, where Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen placed third and fifth compared to their supersoft-equipped rivals.


In Q2, both Mercedes drivers were the only ones to get through with the soft tyres only (although Red Bull also tried, before switching to supersoft) – meaning that this is the compound that they will start on tomorrow.


The Q3 battle was run entirely on the supersoft, with Hamilton setting his pole time of 1m21.135s during his second run right at the end of the session, ahead of team mate Nico Rosberg.



Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director: “Track temperatures were about the same than we saw yesterday for free practice, with strategy already at the forefront from the start of qualifying.


In Q2 the Mercedes drivers were the only ones to get through on the soft tyres only. Both saved a set of supersoft, while the Mercedes drivers will be the only ones in the top 10 to be starting the race tomorrow on the more durable soft tyre – from the first two places on the grid.


 So it remains to be seen whether or not this will affect their thinking on strategy tomorrow. With both one or two stops possible, the tactics for the grand prix will be extremely interesting.”





How the tyres behaved today:



Medium: Not used in qualifying but likely to be an essential part of any one-stop plan.

Soft: Only used by Ferrari in Q1, then also used by others in Q2 as the race start tyre.

Supersoft: Pole tyre, but only a relatively small speed advantage here compared to soft.



Free practice 3 – top three times

Hamilton    1m22.008s    Supersoft New
Rosberg    1m22.401s    Supersoft New
Vettel    1m22.946s    Supersoft New



Qualifying top 10


Hamilton    1m21.135s    Supersoft New
Rosberg    1m21.613s    Supersoft New
Vettel    1m21.972s    Supersoft New
Raikkonen    1m22.065s    Supersoft New
Bottas    1m22.388s    Supersoft New
Ricciardo    1m22.389s    Supersoft New
Verstappen    1m22.411s    Supersoft New
Perez    1m22.814s    Supersoft New
Hulkenberg    1m22.836s    Supersoft New
Gutierrez    1m23.184s    Supersoft New



Most laps by compound so far

Medium    Rosberg    23 laps
Soft    Vettel    27
Supersoft    Gutierrez    22
Supersoft    Raikkonen    22
Prototype    Massa    11



Best time by compound so far


Medium    Rosberg    1m24.569s
Soft    Hamilton    1m21.498s
Supersoft    Hamilton    1m21.135s
Prototype    Hamilton    1m24.123s
 
 
        
   


Anthony Peacock  - photo Pirelli