Securing Ferrari’s first pole position in 31 races, Fernando Alonso has helped the team move past the team orders controversy.
The last occasion a scarlet car led the field was in Brazil 2008, and Alonso proudly achieved this feat in advance of the Italian Grand Prix, exciting the Monza crowd.
On the front row alongside Alonso is McLaren’s reigning champion Jenson Button, who finished just 0.122 seconds behind as his final flying lap fell short.
For the first time in 18 races, no Red Bull cars occupy the front row, with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel relegated to fourth and sixth respectively, nestled between championship leader Lewis Hamilton in fifth with McLaren.
With president Luca di Montezemolo present, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa will start in third, marking a good day for the Maranello team. Nico Rosberg from Mercedes will begin in seventh, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Rubens Barrichello in eighth and tenth respectively, surrounding Robert Kubica in his Renault.
In an unusual move for McLaren, a split strategy will be maintained for Sunday’s race, with Button choosing to employ the f-duct while Hamilton opts to race without it.
Typically, the f-duct improves straight-line speed; however, at Monza, it helps navigate the sweeping curves of the historic circuit.
The downside for Hamilton is that he is running a lower, flatter rear wing, enhancing straight-line speed but making the car trickier to control. Given his relatively low grid position, it seems the 25-year-old may have already jeopardized his race.
Adrian Sutil will be starting 11th in his Force India, narrowly missing a top 10 position by just 0.057 seconds to Barrichello at the conclusion of Q2.
For the 11th time this season, Michael Schumacher was out-qualified by teammate Rosberg, placing him in 12th. Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi will start in 13th, while the Toro Rossos, Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, fill 14th and 16th positions, sandwiching Renault’s Vitaly Petrov.
