The 2025 Italian Grand Prix qualifying session at the historic Monza circuit put Ferrari firmly under the spotlight as Formula 1 fans eagerly watched the team’s performance. Charles Leclerc once again demonstrated his solid qualifying pace in the third free practice session earlier in the morning, finishing just a few thousandths of a second behind Lando Norris and emerged as the only Ferrari driver capable of realistically fighting for pole position in light of the severe grid penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton following the Dutch Grand Prix. Throughout the weekend, the Ferrari SF-25 has shown competitive pace and solid handling characteristics, but it remains clear that the team will need an additional performance step if they hope to challenge the McLaren team consistently for the very top positions on the grid.
So let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the two Ferrari drivers in the qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix.
GP Monza Q1: tight margins and first impressions
Both Ferrari drivers prepared meticulously for the first qualifying session of the weekend. After the customary technical checks and procedures on both cars, the team waited for the official signal to begin the session, which is always crucial when planning race strategy for the upcoming Italian Grand Prix. Beyond the work done during the warm-up laps and initial setups, it remained to be seen whether Ferrari had arranged a specific slipstream strategy to take advantage of Monza’s long straights—a tactic that is often decisive on this high-speed and historic circuit in the Brianza region.
The Ferrari SF-25 cars lined up at the very end of the pit lane before the official start of the session. Both single-seaters then completed their outlaps, focusing on warming the new Soft tires for optimal grip and performance. The initial attempts were clean, without any visible mistakes, although a notable difference in driving approach quickly became apparent between the two drivers, especially through the Lesmo corners, where precision and speed are crucial.
Charles Leclerc attacked the corner more aggressively, choosing to stay wide from the apex to prioritize overall speed through the curve, allowing for maximum exit velocity. Lewis Hamilton, in contrast, took a slightly tighter line, braking later and accelerating earlier out of the corner to maintain a different style of cornering efficiency. The lap times were competitive and respectable, but ultimately not sufficient to place either Ferrari ahead of the McLarens, who appeared to be just slightly quicker in these opening attempts. The second sector of the track remained the most challenging portion for the Ferrari cars, with a clear time deficit of over two tenths of a second compared to the top-running cars.
Rather than returning immediately to the garage after their initial laps, both Ferrari drivers chose to attempt an additional fast lap. Each driver improved by approximately two tenths of a second before returning to the pits for tire management and adjustments. Meanwhile, Mercedes driver George Russell surprised everyone by posting the fastest time in the session while running Medium tires, demonstrating the strategic flexibility of the different tire compounds available for qualifying. After a brief pause in activity on track, Ferrari returned with a fresh set of Soft tires to continue their qualifying efforts and attempt to maximize their positions.
On the following run, Charles Leclerc made a minor braking error entering the first corner and also struggled slightly through the Roggia chicane, where he was forced to make multiple steering corrections to maintain the car on the ideal line. Both Ferrari drivers eventually aborted their laps at the Variante Ascari, following instructions received via radio from their respective race engineers. This decision was somewhat controversial, as it resulted in a set of brand-new Soft tires being effectively wasted without producing a meaningful improvement in lap times. Eliminated in Q1 were drivers Hadjar, Stroll, Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, and Liam Lawson, with the top fifteen drivers advancing to Q2 separated by an incredibly narrow margin of just four-tenths of a second, demonstrating the close competitiveness of the field.
GP Monza Q2: challenges at the first chicane and tire considerations
Medium tires deserve particular attention in this session, as they provide slightly less absolute grip compared to the Soft compounds but offer reduced understeer in high-speed corners, a characteristic that can be highly beneficial for cars like Ferrari and Mercedes, which tend to perform well with balanced cornering behavior. The Mercedes team exploited this tire characteristic with precision, and it remained to be seen whether Ferrari would adopt a similar approach in the next phase of qualifying.
For Ferrari, the first run in Q2 began on used tires. Charles Leclerc continued to experience challenges when braking for the first chicane, losing approximately a tenth of a second according to his race engineer Bryan Bozzi. He also struggled to maintain perfect speed and balance through the Roggia chicane. Lewis Hamilton was slightly more consistent in his driving approach but ultimately recorded slower lap times than his teammate. Both Ferrari SF-25 cars returned to the pits for adjustments, with Lewis Hamilton temporarily stopped for FIA checks to ensure compliance with regulations. They then prepared to head back out on a completely new set of Soft tires to attempt faster lap times in the closing stages of Q2.
During the previous laps, Charles Leclerc had provided a small slipstream benefit for his teammate, positioning himself approximately five seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. In the first sector, the Briton managed to post faster split times, leaving uncertainty about whether this advantage resulted primarily from the aerodynamic effect of the slipstream or from his personal driving performance. Charles Leclerc continued to deliver a strong and solid performance, although he repeatedly mentioned concerns about braking in the first chicane. Ultimately, Lewis Hamilton finished just fifty thousandths of a second behind Charles Leclerc—a gap that cost him three positions in the standings and set the stage for an intense battle in Q3. Eliminated at this stage were Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, and Esteban Ocon, highlighting the increasingly competitive nature of the grid.
GP Monza Q3: Max Verstappen dominates once again
The final qualifying session, Q3, represented the decisive moment of the weekend, demanding the extra performance margin that, given the extremely tight times throughout the field, could determine whether drivers remained in the upper echelons of the grid or slipped down several positions. For Lewis Hamilton, who was set to start the race with a significant grid penalty, the pressure was even greater, and mistakes in this session were simply not permissible.
Tire management remained the central issue for all drivers. Analysis of Q2 sector times did not reveal a single sector that presented a particular challenge for Ferrari, suggesting that the team may have modified their warm-up program during practice to deliver a more consistent performance across the entirety of the lap. There were no attempts at coordinated slipstreaming between teammates in this session. Lewis Hamilton experienced oversteer while exiting the first chicane, required a small correction through the Roggia chicane, and encountered a moment of hesitation at the Parabolica corner.
Although his lap was not disastrous, it left the impression that an improvement was possible. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, delivered a very strong and convincing lap that ultimately secured him second place on the grid, aided in part by a beneficial slipstream effect from Max Verstappen. Ferrari continued fine-tuning the front end in the pits to improve balance and handling for the final attempt on a fresh set of Soft tires, understanding that this would be their last meaningful opportunity to secure a front-row start. The pressure was immense: this was the final chance to improve positions before the race.
Lewis Hamilton positioned himself behind Charles Leclerc to attempt to benefit from the aerodynamic slipstream, while Charles Leclerc encountered Yuki Tsunoda ahead of the main group on track. Max Verstappen remained just behind the two McLaren cars, setting up for his own final flying lap. Both Ferrari drivers produced clean laps, but neither was able to improve upon their previous times. In the middle sector of the track, Charles Leclerc lost two-tenths of a second, while Lewis Hamilton lost more than three-tenths. Ferrari ultimately failed to convert their final run into an improved grid position and had to settle for the results achieved, once again postponing the pursuit of perfection. Max Verstappen claimed his third pole position at the iconic Monza circuit, continuing his remarkable run of dominance in Formula 1 qualifying sessions.
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