Reigning double world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez failed to make it past Q2 for the first time this season.
Not at his best since the start of the weekend in the streets of the city-state of Singapore, Max Verstappen showed his first flaws of the season, Saturday September 16, during the qualifying session. The overwhelming leader of the drivers’ standings (he is 145 points ahead) did not make it out of Q2, and will start outside the top 10, in 11th place. His runner-up and teammate at Red Bull, Sergio Perez, did not do better, having to settle for 13th place on the starting grid.
Pole position was taken by Carlos Sainz, a week after having already set the best time in the qualifying session for the last Grand Prix, at Monza. The Spaniard confirms the renewed performance at Scuderia Ferrari. Charles Leclerc, third, only came within a few hundredths of giving his team a double. George Russell (Mercedes) will start from second place.
Ejected in Q2 by a beginner
“It was shocking. An absolutely traumatic experience.” While his season looked like a walk in the park, Verstappen fumed after the session. If he had avoided disaster in Q1 after the red flag caused by the accident of Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), the Dutch was not hampered in Q2, simply not managing to shine on this circuit which has never really been successful for him (0 victories and only 2 podiums in 6 participations). A snub for his team, beaten by Liam Lawson ( 10th), driver of Alpha Tauri, Red Bull’s little sister, who is only competing in his third Grand Prix in F1.
For Verstappen, the dark day is not yet completely over. The latter is the subject of two investigations by the commissioners, which could earn him penalties. “What will be possible tomorrow? Honestly, not muchhe blurted out, annoyed, Canal+. You can’t really overtake here unless you have great pace and I think we have absolutely none at the moment.“Two weeks after breaking the record for consecutive victories with a tenth success in a row, the end of his series and that of his team, undefeated this season, has never seemed so close.
Ambushing for a podium, the British Lando Norris (McLaren, 4th) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes, 5th) will appear as outsiders, in the race considered the most grueling of the season because of this characteristic humid heat. Out of the picture in Italy, Alpine limits the damage this time, with Esteban Ocon 8th and Pierre Gasly 12th.