Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1163844
28 CHARLES Leclerc delighted the Fer- rari fans by roaring to pole position for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix. Formula One's rising star delivered another impressive performance to see off Lewis Hamilton and claim his second pole in as many weeks, the fourth of his career. Sebastian Vettel in the sister Ferrari could manage only fourth as he played second fiddle to Leclerc once more fol- lowing the young Monegasque's maid- en win in Belgium last weekend. Valt- teri Bottas lines up third for Mercedes. Vettel may have been hired by Ferra- ri to end the Italian team's champion- ship drought, but Leclerc has emerged as the man carrying the hopes of a na- tion. Leclerc, 22 next month, left Vettel firmly in his shade at Spa-Francor- champs, and the Ferrari rookie fin- ished 0.150 seconds clear of the Ger- man in Italy on Saturday. Vettel is in danger of becoming yes- terday's man. Tellingly it is Leclerc's face, and not the four-time world champion, which looks out from a huge Ferrari fan club flag opposite the team's garage. Leclerc's opening lap in Q3 was good enough to take the front slot after the drivers failed to complete a second run as they jostled for position in the closing seconds. "It feels amazing," said Leclerc. "I am happy with the pole. It is a shame there was a big mess at the end, but the first lap was good enough." Hamilton is bidding for a record- breaking sixth victory at the 'Cathe- dral of Speed', and the Mercedes star is well placed to take the challenge to Leclerc. "I have to be grateful that I am on the front row," said Hamilton after finish- ing just 0.036secs behind his Ferrari rival. "We get to have a fight with the Ferraris tomorrow. "It is an anti-climax that we didn't do a final lap. Everyone backs up and tries to get a position, and they timed us out. On the out lap it was danger- ous for us all. It is risky business." Kimi Raikkonen's crash led to a 11-minute suspension of the final phase of qualifying. The Finn, the last man to win the world championship for Ferrari in 2007, lost control of his car through the final Parabolica corner, slid- ing backwards into the gravel before slamming into the barriers. Raikkonen emerged unscathed from the accident, but the red flags were issued to deal with his damaged Alfa Romeo. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was al- ready due to start from the back of the pack, penalised for taking on a revised Honda engine this weekend. In Q1, the Dutchman then reported a power problem forcing him to limp to the pits without setting a time. Verstappen is the closest non-Mer- cedes challenger to Hamilton in the championship but he looks set to lose further ground to the Briton. Lando Norris finished 14th for McLaren, but, like Verstappen, he too will be sent to the rear of the field fol- lowing engine penalties. Norris helped team-mate Carlos Sainz into Q3 by affording him a tow. The Spaniard will start seventh. Williams driver George Russell fin- ished 18th, half-a-second clear of his struggling team-mate Robert Kubica. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 FORMULA 1 SPORTS Italian GP Leclerc secures pole for Ferrari in Monza Charles Leclerc: Ferrari driver (right) shakes hands with Lewis Hamilton after Italian Grand Prix qualifying