Live Ticker: Monza Qualifying – Who will snatch pole position at the high-speed temple?

Qualifying at Monza promises to be exciting, even if local hero Kimi Antonelli won’t be playing a leading role in the battle for pole position. The 20-year-old championship leader from the Mercedes team will have to start his home race at the Royal Park from well down the grid because he is using a new engine that exceeds the permitted allocation. The same fate befalls Williams driver Alex Albon, although even without a penalty, the Londoner is not among the favourites for the front row.

Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell has emerged as the main contender in free practice. The Briton finished as the fastest driver in both Friday’s practice sessions and today’s final free practice session on Saturday. He has so far been closely followed by the Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, much to the delight of the home crowd in the stands. Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen was also close in the final free practice session. The four-time champion was 0.35 seconds off Russell’s FP3 best time and made far fewer complaints over the radio about his car.

You can follow the battle for pole position live here on SPEEDWEEK.com.

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