Scuderia miss out on top 10 of Monza grid for first time in 36 years
By James Galloway
Last Updated: 05/09/20 3:49pm
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Both Ferrari’s failed to make it into the top 10 at their home Grand Prix in Italy with a disappointing performance in qualifying
Ferrari’s latest difficulties in qualifying brought up another uncomfortable statistic for Formula 1’s struggling giants, as they missed out on the top 10 on the grid for their home Italian GP for the first time in a generation.
Expecting another tough weekend a week on from a point-less outing at Spa, Ferrari saw Sebastian Vettel drop out in Q1 in 17th place before Charles Leclerc exited Q2 with the 13th-quickest time.
It means Ferrari do not have a car in the top-10 of the starting grid for their home race for first time since 1984.
And Leclerc admitted: “We know Spa and here are probably the two worst tracks for us, with another one probably a bit later like this. It’s like this.
“It’s tough because once you do a good lap and you do P13 it doesn’t feel good. But, for now, it’s like this and I need to extract the maximum out of the car in the situation we are in and that’s what In tried to do.”
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc believes finishing 13th in qualifying was the best result he could achieve ahead of the Italian GP
And the Monegasque conceded: “It hurts even more when it’s at home, but it’s a reality at the moment for us unfortunately.”
While the top 10 always appeared a long shot, the team’s first Q1 exit of the season with Vettel was certainly not helped by the confusion of the closing laps of the first phase, when cars jostled for position on their out laps to try and maximise the straight-line speed boosting ‘tow’ for their quick laps.
Vettel was caught between a number of cars as he started his attempt and, eventually abandoning the lap, the four-time champion rued the “mess” the drivers found themselves in.
More to follow…
