Colapinto seeks a strong starting position in Italian Grand Prix qualifying

Franco Colapinto entered Italian Grand Prix qualifying after finishing 10th in the final practice session at Monza, only five thousandths of a second behind Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly. The result suggested both Alpine cars could be competitive at the circuit known as the Temple of Speed.

George Russell again set the fastest time, repeating his leading performance from Friday afternoon. Colapinto had finished ninth in Friday's first practice, ahead of reserve driver Paul Aron, and 11th in the second session, three places ahead of Gasly and just over a second behind Russell.

The qualifying session opened with a tactical concern: avoiding traffic and finding a useful slipstream from a teammate. The first segment lasted 18 minutes, with 22 cars due to take part. The track temperature stood at 56 degrees as the green light opened the circuit.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen also arrived with tension from the final minutes of practice. They reached a chicane nearly side by side, and Verstappen braked late while Hamilton went straight to avoid contact. “He forced that,” Verstappen said afterward. Hamilton had passed the Red Bull driver earlier while warming his tires.

Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, already knew qualifying would not determine his starting position in the usual way. Mercedes replaced all the components of his power unit, accepting a penalty that will send him to the back of the grid at his home race. Alexander Albon faces a 20-place penalty after taking a fifth internal combustion engine and a fourth electronic control unit of the season.

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He forced that.