Italy – Qualifications: Vettel secures his 40th pole at Monza!

The twelfth qualifying session of the 2013 Formula 1 season takes place under a beautiful blue sky. The weather is favorable, ensuring no disruptions for the drivers, with air temperatures at 30°C and 42°C on the track.

Q1: Esteban Gutierrez is the first to hit the track as the light turns green. He is quickly followed by Nico Rosberg, who experienced a problem during free practice 3 and needs to ensure everything is fine with his Mercedes and make up for lost time due to this issue. Esteban Gutierrez sets the first timed lap at 1:26.293, Nico Rosberg doesn’t improve, but that’s normal because the German is on an 8-lap stint in his Mercedes. As has been their habit in recent years, the Ferrari drivers run together to take advantage of the slipstream to be faster.

Alonso sets the fastest time right after with 1:24.938, the first to go under the 1:25 mark even though he didn’t really benefit from the slipstream behind Felipe Massa. The Spaniard is then overtaken by Jean-Eric Vergne driving his Toro Rosso and then by Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel is the last to leave the pits with less than 9 minutes remaining in Q1, while Alonso has improved but is still 2nd. On his first timed lap, the triple world champion sets the 3rd fastest time. In his second lap, he takes the lead ahead of Hamilton.

While most of the drivers were on hard tires for their first stints, for the end of Q1, everyone who went back out switched to mediums. Many drivers improved, but Gutierrez and Bottas were eliminated alongside the two Marussias and the two Caterhams.

Eliminated in Q1: Gutierrez, Bottas, van der Garde, Pic, Bianchi, Chilton

Q2: Daniel Ricciardo is the first to leave the pits in his Toro Rosso. He is followed by di Resta, Vergne, Maldonado, and Hülkenberg. The Australian shows himself to be the fastest in this group. However, Massa does better, along with Alonso who takes the lead despite the dust present at the finish line following an inconsequential off-track excursion by Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg goes slightly wide on the exit of Parabolica but still manages to set the second-fastest time.

While all their competitors are in the pits, the McLaren drivers have the track to themselves with 5 minutes left in Q2. They are joined by Mark Webber and then Sebastian Vettel, who are leaving the pits for the first time in Q2.

Mark Webber falls behind Fernando Alonso but not Sebastian Vettel, who clocks a lap in 1:23.977 while Ricciardo takes 4th place. Apart from Fernando Alonso, all the drivers are on track at the end of Q2.

With many drivers on the track, some had a hard time in the traffic and it proved costly for some! Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen, and Romain Grosjean stopped in Q2 at Monza! Maldonado and the two Force India drivers joined them among the eliminated.

Lewis Hamilton was hindered by Adrian Sutil in the Parabolica, and the stewards are investigating the incident, which could result in a grid penalty for the German driver.

Eliminated in Q2: Räikkönen, Hamilton, Grosjean, Sutil, Maldonado, di Resta

Q3: Nico Rosberg is the first driver to take to the track in Q3, where we also see the two McLarens, the two Toro Rossos, and Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber, five cars that were not necessarily expected in Q3 after the practice sessions. Behind Rosberg, Vergne, Button, Vettel, and Webber also take to the track, as do the two Ferrari drivers.

Rosberg sets a rather slow first lap at 1:28.332, and Mark Webber immediately does better with a 1:23.990, clocking the best times in all three sectors. Vettel does even better than his teammate with a 1:23.859. Alonso is 3rd and Massa 4th. Button has not set a time, the same goes for Vergne.

The Ferrari drivers tried to make slipstreaming work but without success. In the meantime, everyone returns to the pits, and Ricciardo has the track all to himself and sets the 4th fastest time despite a small mistake at the exit of the second chicane.

Everyone comes out at the end of the session to try to secure pole, and Alonso will not benefit from Massa’s slipstream; he indicates to his team over the radio that his teammate is too far away! A lot of dust in the Parabolica following Vergne’s off-track excursion, but it doesn’t trigger a yellow flag, and Vettel claims pole position, the 40th of his career.

Vettel ahead of Webber, Hülkenberg – who delivers a magnificent performance on Ferrari’s home ground as the engine supplier for Sauber -, Massa, Alonso, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Pérez, Button, and Vergne.

Results of the 2013 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying: