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Lando Norris Takes Pole For Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen Second, Lewis Hamilton Third

admin — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 15:33:39 +0000

McLaren’s Lando Norris (centre) took pole position for the Spanish GP.© AFP

McLaren’s Lando Norris produced a spellbinding late lap to deprive Max Verstappen of pole for the Spanish Grand Prix in qualifying on Saturday. Lewis Hamilton will start on the second row alongside his Mercedes teammate George Russell. Verstappen looked nailed on to start Sunday’s 10th round of the season from the front of the grid. But in the last throw of the top-10 shoot-out Norris denied the Red Bull ace by a mere two hundredths of a second. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start fifth.

“Today was the perfect lap,” said Norris after only his second career pole.

“Max seemed a bit stronger, but we made some changes,” added the Briton who won his maiden Grand Prix this season in Miami.

“I’m super happy to be on pole, it’s going to be tough but we’re here to win!”

Verstappen, targeting a fourth straight world title, leads the championship by 56 points from Charles Leclerc, who starts Sunday’s race in fifth, with Norris seven points back in third.

This is the 10th round of the 24-race season and the first of a triple header with Austria and Silverstone coming up over the next two weekends.

Verstappen won his maiden Grand Prix in Barcelona in 2016 and is on a hat-trick after wins in 2022 and 2023.

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Lewis Hamilton Edges Oscar Piastri In Monaco Practice, Max Verstappen Struggles

admin — Fri, 24 May 2024 16:02:33 +0000

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of Australian Oscar Piastri in an intriguing opening free practice for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton clocked a best lap in his Mercedes of 1minute and 12.169 seconds to outpace McLaren’s Piastri by 0.029sec with his ‘silver arrows’ team-mate George Russell third. Lando Norris was fourth in the second McLaren ahead of local favourite Charles Leclerc in the leading Ferrari, two-time champion Fernando Alonso and his Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll.

The late pause, after Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu lost control of his Sauber, interrupted some teams’ plans to switch to soft tyres in the closing minutes, leading to an unrepresentative outcome.

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen, who did not run on softs, complained about his Red Bull car as he struggled in 11th place and 0.815secs off the pace.

“It is so loose on the bumps, any correction with engine braking or brake bias just makes it worse,” said Verstappen, who remarked on Thursday he envisaged a tough weekend labelling the track “one of the more difficult” for the team.

McLaren introduced a striking yellow and green livery as a tribute to the late Ayrton Senna, one of many changes as the teams switched from the sweeping corners of Imola last weekend to the narrow and unforgiving barriers of Monaco.

On an overcast day with rain threatening, Hamilton led the cars out of the pit-lane to start the session, most teams opting for hards.

Piastri set the early pace ahead of Verstappen whose father Jos was present for the first time since Red Bull’s early season off the track difficulties.

Norris soon took over for McLaren with a lap in 1:15.294 before Leclerc gained the initiative in 1:14.238.

Norris and Leclerc continued swapping fastest laps, the Monegasque showing his form on the track that was his childhood bus-run to school.

After 30 minutes of the hour Verstappen and then Hamilton moved up to second before Russell went top on softs ahead of his Mercedes team-mate.

Hamilton then improved to 1:12.169 to go top before Zhou Guanyu crashed to trigger a red flag.

The Chinese driver clipped a barrier and lost part of his front wing which was then collected by Leclerc’s Ferrari as he ran over the debris.

This forced Leclerc to pit for repairs as light rain fell and on resumption Perez pitted with a puncture.

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Lewis Hamilton Reflects On His Teenage Dreams At Monaco

admin — Fri, 24 May 2024 08:18:22 +0000

Lewis Hamilton said he was grateful for a moment of reflection on Thursday morning when he recalled his first visits to Monaco and the realisation of his teenage dreams. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s 81st running of the Monaco Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion said he had a striking sense of the history and majesty of the event that he first attended as a 13-year-old as he arrived in the famous harbour driving through the tunnel.

“I really felt the place and its history and as I came through the tunnel I remembered Ayrton (Senna) from watching it on TV as a kid and that it felt surreal to think that I am now one of the 22 to do it – and that I have been doing it for so long,” he said.

“It was my dream when I was 13 and I came here the first time and I thought this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been and I want to live here.”

Hamilton not only realised that dream, winning the Monaco Grand Prix three times – in 2008, 2016 and 2019 – but by buying an apartment and living in the Mediterranean principality.

“I raced here the first time when I was 18 or 19,” he added.

“In Formula Three. And it was epic. I had a rented scooter and I was running around town and I went up to Eze and it was really epic for me. And then, I got to go on the grid and it was crazy because I had only ever seen Martin Brundle there.

“It’s a crazy place, a special place, it’s the pearl of our sport and the second smallest country in the world.”

Hamilton’s golden recollection of his early experiences in Monaco may not have coincided with W. Somerset Maugham’s description of the principality as “a sunny place for shady people”, but it was heart-felt.

The Mercedes driver, who is set to join Ferrari next year, has not allowed the demise of his team’s form to diminish his pleasure from driving and suggested he will relish the action again this weekend.

Now 39, he takes a more mellowed view of his racing than he did as a forceful younger man.

“We don’t have any upgrades this weekend,” he said. “The package was spread over the last two races. We have our highest downforce package and an evolved wing, but otherwise I don’t know where we’ll be.

“But I am more excited than I have been with the previous two cars. They were not so great. This one is a real work in progress and it’s much better than last year.

“There are so many things to consider – how high or low to run, the balance, weight distribution, cambers and tows. It is one thing to practice in the ‘sim’, but it is only at the track that you discover the issues you may or may not have.

“I hope we just hit the ground running and we don’t look back, but that’s not been the case for the last two years. But this car is more predictable and it is nice to drive. It’s not perfect, but we are going in the right direction.”

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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc Pips Teammate Carlos Sainz For Mexico Grand Prix Pole

admin — Sun, 29 Oct 2023 04:44:05 +0000

A surprised Charles Leclerc admitted he did not expect his success on Saturday after he secured pole position ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz as Ferrari locked out the front row for Sunday’s Mexico Grand Prix. In a chaotic and confusing qualifying session that seemed set to see Max Verstappen on pole again, Ferrari emerged in Q3 with a surge of pace that surprised almost everyone. The Monegasque clocked a best lap in one minute and 17.166 seconds to beat the Spaniard by 0.067 seconds, leaving newly-crowned three-time world champion Verstappen third for Red Bull.

“It’s two weekends in a row where we say that we don’t know if we have the pace,” said Leclerc. “People will start not believing us anymore! To be honest, I did not expect to be on pole today — I thought we were lucky after FP3.

“But once we put everything together it all went well. The new tyres gained a lot, but I am already focusing on tomorrow’s race. We may have pole position, but now we need to convert it into a win and obviously it is going to be very difficult.”

Sainz admitted: “It was a strange one. This whole weekend I’ve struggled to put a lap together then the first lap I put together in Q3 was P1 and suddenly Charles beat me by half a tenth, one tenth…

“I’m just struggling to understand where we can find half a second — and then we go half a second slower in the next lap. It’s very tricky with the tyres.

“The feeling with the car is very strange around this circuit, but we managed to put a good lap in when it counted,” he added.

Verstappen, who will be hunting a 51st career win in Sunday’s race, said: “It’s very difficult here…. It’s very low grip around here because of the altitude so when you try and push a little bit more it goes a bit away from you.

“We’re very close and it’s a very long race with a lot of laps to be raced. Of course, I would have liked to start first, but we’ll have a good slipstream into turn one so we’ll see what happens.”

After dominating all three practice sessions, it was a surprise to see the 26-year-old Dutchman unable to stay on top as Ferrari found a surge of additional pace in the final Q3 section of qualifying.

Daniel Ricciardo was fourth for Alpha Tauri ahead of local hero Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Oscar Piastri of McLaren.

George Russell was eighth in the second Mercedes ahead of the Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.

Three of the top ten — Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell — faced stewards’ investigations for infringements during qualifying, Hamilton for ignoring yellow flags and Russell and Verstappen for holding up the field in the pitlane.

It is Leclerc’s fourth pole position success this year and the 22nd of his career, but he is without a win this season and has struggled to convert poles to wins. His last victory was at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, the fifth of his career. (© Collings, 28 10 23)

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Charles Leclerc Takes Pole In Texas As Max Verstappen Slips To Sixth

admin — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 03:31:51 +0000

Charles Leclerc claimed his third pole position of the season on Friday as Max Verstappen had his best lap deleted and slipped to sixth on the grid in a dramatic qualifying at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver showed commanding pace as he clocked a fastest lap in one minute and 34.723 seconds to outpace McLaren’s Lando Norris by a tenth with resurgent seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes taking third.

Carlos Sainz was fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes and Verstappen, whose late best lap was quick enough for pole before it was rubbed out after he exceeded track limits at Turn 19.

It was the 21st pole position of Leclerc’s career and gives him a chance of frustrating newly-crowned three-time champion Verstappen’s bid for a 50th career victory in Sunday’s race.

“I am very happy with my qualifying and to take pole position,” said Leclerc.

“It was a really good lap and the team did a great job. We had a very clean FP1, which is so important on these sprint weekends.”

Norris described his front-row start as a “bonus for the team”.

He said: “I think I was quick enough to get pole position. I know Charles said he made a few mistakes, but so did I! And anyway, I am happy with second nevertheless.”

Hamilton, who relished the performance of his car’s upgrades at one of his favourite circuits, said: “I love being here at this circuit and I love the country. This is such an incredibly challenging circuit and one of my favourites, up there with Silverstone.

‘My best shot’

“We’ve taken a step closer to these guys this weekend, thanks to everyone in the factory who have been pushing so hard. I will give it my best shot tomorrow.”

Behind a grumbling Verstappen, who complained on team radio, the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were seventh and eighth ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull and Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren.

The session began in glorious sunshine with a track temperature of 42 degrees Celsius and the air at 35, conditions to challenge tyres and cars at the Circuit of the Americas.

Leclerc set an early fastest lap before Verstappen and then Nico Hulkenberg took command, the German making the most of a major upgrade package for his Haas on home soil.

Both Ferraris then swept to the top with Sainz leading Leclerc by two-tenths ahead of Gasly’s Alpine, with everyone running on softs, before they began their second Q1 runs.

Sainz chose to save tyres and miss a second run as Verstappen went top by almost half a second only to be outpaced by Hamilton, on new tyres, who beat him by two-tenths. Norris was second.

At the bottom end, it was bad news for Aston Martin, despite an upgrade package, as both two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll failed to make the cut.

Alonso was 17th and eliminated from Q1 for the first time this year along with Hulkenberg, in his Haas, Stroll, 19th, and the Williams pair Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant.

Stroll had missed most of practice due to brake problems, which also afflicted Alonso. For the Canadian son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, it was a fifth consecutive Q1 flop.

In Q2, Mercedes set the pace until Verstappen seized the initiative in a close scrap that saw nine cars separated by less than four-tenths before their second runs saw Ferrari shine again.

Leclerc topped Verstappen ahead of Hamilton and Sainz while Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu and his Alfa Romeo team-mate Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen of Haas and Daniel Ricciardo, in the second Alpha Tauri, were knocked out.

All this left 10 cars from five teams in Q3’s shootout.

Leclerc topped the first runs ahead of Hamilton by 0.056 seconds with Verstappen third and Sainz fourth. Russell’s lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him 10th before the final showdown.

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Ferrari to accept payment in cryptocurrency for its cars in the U.S.

admin — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 08:08:47 +0000

Ferrari’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Enrico Galliera said cryptocurrencies had made efforts to reduce their carbon footprint through the introduction of new software and a larger use of renewable sources.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Ferrari has started to accept payment in cryptocurrency for its luxury sports cars in the U.S. and will extend the scheme to Europe following requests from its wealthy customers, its marketing and commercial chief told Reuters.

The vast majority of blue-chip companies have steered clear of crypto as the volatility of bitcoin and other tokens renders them impractical for commerce. Patchy regulation and high energy usage have also prevented the spread of crypto as a means of payment.

These include electric carmaker Tesla, which in 2021 began to accept payment in bitcoin, the biggest crypto coin, before CEO Elon Musk halted it because of environmental concerns.

Ferrari’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Enrico Galliera told that Reuters cryptocurrencies had made efforts to reduce their carbon footprint through the introduction of new software and a larger use of renewable sources.

“Our target to reach for carbon neutrality by 2030 along our whole value chain is absolutely confirmed,” he said in an interview. Ferrari said the decision came in response to requests from the market and dealers as many of its clients have invested in crypto.

“Some are young investors who have built their fortunes around cryptocurrencies,” he said. “Some others are more traditional investors, who want to diversify their portfolios.”

While some cryptocurrencies, such as the second-largest, ether, have improved their energy efficiency, bitcoin still attracts criticism for its energy-intensive mining. Ferrari shipped more than 1,800 cars to its Americas region, which includes the U.S., in the first half of this year.

Mr. Galliera did not say how many cars Ferrari expected to sell through crypto. He said the company’s order portfolio was strong and fully booked well into 2025, but the company wanted to test this expanding universe.

“This will help us connect to people who are not necessarily our clients but might afford a Ferrari,” he said.

The Italian company, which sold 13,200 cars in 2022, with prices starting at more than 2,00,000 euros ($2,11,000) and going up to two million euros, plans to extend the crypto scheme to Europe by the first quarter of next year and then to other regions where crypto is legally accepted. ($1 = 0.9495 euros)

Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) is Ferrari’s largest region, accounting for 46% of its total car shipments in the first half of this year.

“Interest is the same in the U.S. and Europe, we don’t see huge differences,” Mr. Galliera said. Countries where cryptocurrencies are restricted include China.

Ferrari has turned to one of the biggest cryptocurrency payment processors, BitPay, for the initial phase in the U.S., and will allow transactions in bitcoin, ether and USDC, one of the largest so-called stable coins. Ferrari might use other payment processors in different regions.

“Prices will not change, no fees, no surcharges if you pay through cryptocurrencies,” Mr. Galliera said. Bitpay will immediately turn cryptocurrency payments into traditional currency on behalf of Ferrari’s dealers, so they are protected from price swings.

“This was one of our main goals: avoiding, both our dealers and us, to directly handle cryptocurrencies and being shielded from their wide fluctuations,” Mr. Galliera said.

As the payment processor, BitPay will ensure that the virtual currencies come from legitimate sources and not derived from criminal activity or to be used to launder the proceeds of crime or evade tax.

Ferrari’s marketing and commercial chief said that the majority of its U.S. dealers have already signed up, or are about to agree, to the scheme. “I am confident others will join soon,” Mr. Galliera said.

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Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Wins Singapore GP To End Max Verstappen’s Win Streak

admin — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 15:53:05 +0000

Carlos Sainz led from start to finish to win a thrilling Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday after a charging George Russell crashed his Mercedes from third place on the final lap. Lando Norris was second in a McLaren with Lewis Hamilton crossing the line in third. Championship leader Max Verstappen was fifth as Red Bull failed to win a race for the first time this season. Sainz controlled the pace of the night race brilliantly from pole position to take only his second career win, the first coming at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last year.

It ended Red Bull’s hopes of sweeping every race in 2023 as Verstappen, who has won the last 10 races in a row, could only work his way up from 11th on the grid into the top five.

His teammate Sergio Perez crossed the line in eighth place.

“An incredible feeling, incredible weekend,” said Sainz.

“We nailed a weekend and nailed the race. We did everything we had to do. We did it perfect and we brought home a P1 that I’m sure all of Italy and Ferrari will be proud today,” added the Spaniard.

Sainz seemed set for a comfortable win until a virtual safety car 20 laps from the end gave the two Mercedes the chance to change to fresh medium-compound tyres.

Russell and Hamilton came out flying and soon reeled in and passed the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth.

But when they got on the heels of the top two they could not get past as Sainz cleverly kept his former teammate Norris within DRS range so the Englishman could defend second place.

“It was all about managing the beginning of the stints to make sure I made it to the target laps,” said Sainz.

“The safety car forced us to pit earlier than we wanted and I knew it was going to be a long stint on the hards.

“It was just quite tight at the end. We gave Lando a bit of DRS to help him and in the end it worked.”

‘Very generous’

Russell was all over the back of Norris until his challenge ended in the wall at turn eight of the final lap, handing Hamilton the final podium place.

“Carlos was very generous trying to help me get DRS. It helped my race and it also helped his,” said Norris.

“We did everything we needed to do and more. So super happy.”

Earlier Sainz got away cleanly from pole position with his teammate Leclerc using the softest compound tyres to overtake Russell, who had started in second.

When Logan Sargeant lost the front wing of his Williams after hitting the wall on lap 20 a safety car caused a flurry of pit-lane activity with all the leaders heading in for fresh rubber.

Leclerc was held up behind Sainz and he rejoined behind Russell and Norris.

Verstappen stayed out and moved up to second before the packed night race crowd witnessed the rare sight in 2023 of the runaway championship leader being passed comfortably by Russell, Norris, Hamilton and Leclerc on their fresher tyres.

Perez was the first Red Bull to pit, on lap 39, and dropped all the way to last place after he emerged. Verstappen stopped a lap later and rejoined down in 15th.

Just two laps later Esteban Ocon’s engine gave out causing a virtual safety car giving Mercedes the chance to dive in for fresh tyres.

With 10 laps to go, Russell swept past Leclerc with Hamilton following a lap later.

Russell had remarkably been the last non-Red Bull driver to win a grand prix before Sainz, in November last year in Brazil, before his race ended in dramatic fashion.

“Extremely unfortunate for George,” said Hamilton. “We were pushing so hard to catch these guys and our tyres were so hot.

“But I know he will bounce back. He’s been phenomenal all weekend.”

Verstappen is still a runaway favourite to claim a third world title but the all-conquering Dutchman has still never taken the chequered flag in Singapore.

Red Bull had won all 14 races this season before Singapore but the Marina Bay street extinguished hopes of a clean sweep of 22 grands prix wins in 2023.

Verstappen had won 12 of the 14 previous races this season with Perez the only other driver to take the chequered flag.

Red Bull need to win six of the remaining seven races to beat the Formula One record of Mercedes in 2016, when Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton won 19 of 21 grands prix.

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Carlos Sainz On Singapore GP Pole After Verstappen’s ‘Shocking’ Qualifying

admin — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 18:46:48 +0000

Carlos Sainz took pole position for Ferrari on Saturday for the Singapore Grand Prix, but championship leader Max Verstappen will start from the back half of the grid after a “shocking” qualifying session Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 after finishing 11th fastest in an “undriveable” Red Bull and then escaped penalties that could have demoted him to last place. Verstappen faced stewards late on Saturday after being accused of impeding cars in the pit lane and twice more on the track as he tried to create a gap for his qualifying laps.

The stewards cleared the driver of one offence and issued reprimands each for the other two, meaning Verstappen retains his place on the sixth row. “I knew it would always be tough to put it on pole. But this I didn’t expect,” Verstappen told reporters after both Red Bulls were eliminated in Q2 for the first time since the Russian Grand Prix in 2018.

“Throughout the weekend we have been struggling. We tried a few more things on the car for qualifying and that tipped it over where it became undriveable again,” he added.

Sainz’s lap of 1min 30.984sec pipped the Mercedes of George Russell by 0.072sec and the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc who was third, 0.007sec further back.

Sainz will start from pole for the second consecutive grand prix after also being fastest in Italy two weeks ago. “A bit like Monza really, we hit the ground running in FP1. I felt very confident all through the sessions and put it together in Q3,” said Sainz, who also topped the time sheets in Saturday’s third free practice session.

“I just focused on not doing any mistakes on that lap. Keeping it clean in Singapore normally pays off.”

Verstappen has won the last 10 races in a row and has a 145-point lead over Sergio Perez, who fared even worse as he spun on his final lap and could not improve on 13th. The Dutchman has never triumphed under the lights in Singapore and faces an almost impossible task to end the drought at the street circuit after a torrid weekend well off the pace.

“It’s just a shocking experience,” he said.

Russell will start from the front row for the first time since the Australian Grand Prix at the beginning of April.

Stroll survives huge crash

The Englishman was the last non-Red Bull driver to win a grand prix, in Brazil last year. “Really happy with this weekend as a whole,” said Russell. “I felt really confident in the car, the team did a great job with the strategy.

“We have an extra set of medium tyres tomorrow which nobody around us has. So to get to Q3 and be on the front row with a strategic advantage tomorrow is an exciting place to be.”

Perez won in Singapore last year from the front row but will make his 250th grand prix start in Sunday’s night race from the back half of the grid.

Verstappen has won 12 of the 14 races this season with Perez the only other driver to take the chequered flag but now the team’s prospects of a perfect season are under severe threat on a circuit where overtaking is near impossible.

The McLaren of Lando Norris will join Leclerc on the second row of the grid for Sunday’s night race “Everything was super close, Mercedes were really strong today too,” said Leclerc.

“Unfortunately I missed it just a little bit to gain a few positions. Carlos did a great job. We did not expect to be this competitive on a track like this. This is a good sign for the future.”

Lewis Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen were fifth and sixth respectively and will occupy the third row followed by Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg and Liam Lawson.

Earlier, Q1 was brought to a premature halt by a red flag after Lance Stroll spectacularly crashed his Aston Martin entering the pit straight at the end of a hot lap.

A huge impact into the wall sent his car spinning across the track with wheels and bodywork flying. The Canadian was later given the all-clear by doctors after walking away unscathed.

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Carlos Sainz Gives Ferrari Italian GP Hope After Pipping Max Verstappen To Pole

admin — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 18:00:08 +0000

Carlos Sainz is gunning to end dominant Max Verstappen’s record run of Formula One wins after delighting Ferrari’s passionate army of home fans on Saturday by claiming pole position for the Italian Grand Prix. Spaniard Sainz will start at the front of the grid for the first time this season after pipping by 0.013 seconds reigning world champion Verstappen who is hunting a historic 10th straight victory. Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari took third to start from the second row alongside the Mercedes of George Russell on a great day for Ferrari in front of a typically colourful sea of support. Sainz trails Verstappen by a whopping 237 points in the drivers’ championship and is yet to claim a podium finish this season.

But the 29-year-old shone in Saturday’s qualifying after already showing his speed by topping the times in two practice sessions, and celebrated snatching the fourth pole of his career in the final moments with the jubilant crowd.

“It’s just amazing you know, the whole weekend really. Since we arrived here on Wednesday the support and the feeling with the crowd and the energy they put into us is incredible,” Sainz told reporters.

Ferrari were also boosted by governing body FIA deciding not to pursue disciplinary action on Leclerc and Sainz for breaches to lap time limits imposed on Saturday morning in order to cut down track congestion.

That decision came moments after Sainz beat Verstappen to the top of the grid on a day which will give Ferrari hope of their first win of the season at the iconic Temple of Speed.

“We’ve got the motivation and the energy to do it. The car has been very good all weekend, especially over one lap,” added Sainz.

“From what I’ve seen through the long runs, I’m not going to lie, it’s been tricker. It’s not the same picture as in qualifying.

“It’s a good opportunity tomorrow, but also being realistic the Red Bull should be quicker. We’re just going to try to make their lives as difficult as possible.”

Dutchman Verstappen still has a great chance to break the record of nine straight GP wins he shares with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel after winning a dramatic race on home soil in Zandvoort last weekend.

Verstappen has won 11 of the 13 races so far this year and leads Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who is the only other driver to win this season and finished 0.394sec back in fifth, by 138 points in the drivers’ standings.

Ferrari and Red Bull will do battle at Monza as the two teams did last year when Verstappen eased to victory after superior pit strategy saw off pole sitter Leclerc.

“Here in Monza it’s always very tight, you might jump ahead and sometimes you’re just behind but I’m confident for tomorrow,” said Verstappen.

Red Bull’s closest challenger Fernando Alonso has a job on his hands on Sunday after he finished over a second off the pace in 10th, while Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s race in eighth.

Mercedes announced on Thursday that seven-time world champion Hamilton had signed a new deal until 2025 which will extend his career beyond his 40th birthday.

Hamilton, 38, is convinced he can win more races and world championships with the Silver Arrows, although he is 183 points behind Verstappen in fourth place.

Last season Hamilton failed to win or claim pole position at any GP for the first time in his career, while this year he is yet to add to his record 103 race victories.

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