Friday's summary: Hamilton on P2 for sprint race and multiple penalties
F1 News
- GPblog.com
This weekend the second sprint race of the season takes place, which means Friday looked different than usual. Qualifying took place in the evening and Max Verstappen finished on the second row of the grid. Lewis Hamilton finished behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas in P2.
Hamilton on P2 for sprint race
It may have come as a surprise, but it was Valtteri Bottas who was the fastest man during qualifying. Lewis Hamilton struggled and finished behind his teammate. Verstappen pulled out all the stops in his Red Bull and managed to finish third, which was the best possible result according to the Dutchman.
Penalty for Bottas
During Q1 of qualifying, the news came that Bottas will be using his fourth engine, which means that the Finn will start last during the race on Sunday. Verstappen has also yet to change his engine, but if all goes well during the sprint race it doesn't look like the Dutchman will do so this weekend. Hamilton will also need to change his engine soon.
Penalties in Monza
Aston Martin and Alpine were fined 5000 euros because of dangerous situations in the pitlane caused by the traffic at Monza. Nikita Mazepin avoided a grid penalty. The Haas driver held up Robert Kubica during his fast lap, but according to the FIA the Russian did everything possible to get out of his way.
McLaren looking strong
Drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo finished on P4 and P5 in qualifying, a strong result for the team. Norris even revealed that he could have had the third spot had he not made a mistake at the final corner. Both Mercedes and Red Bull admitted that McLaren did look very fast, so who knows what the team can do during the sprint race and main race on Sunday.