Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix 2015: Results, Times for Practice and Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to take another substantial step toward his third Formula One world championship with a win at the Italian Grand Prix.

Monza is one of the most enthralling circuits on the calendar, with it’s searing straights ripe for overtaking and the looping, high-speed bends a tremendous facilitator for wheel-to-wheel action. But for all the drama that usually unfolds on race day, in the last 10 years, the pole-sitter has won the race eight times.

So the Mercedes man will be acutely aware of how important the practice and qualifying sessions are to his chances of success at the Cathedral of Speed. Keeping team-mate Nico Rosberg—who is 28 points back in the standings—in his mirrors will be vital to Hamilton’s chances again.

The tifosi will be desperate to see a home winner, though, and in Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari have two challengers. These preliminary sessions should provide some intriguing insight as to whether they’re capable of keeping pace with the Silver Arrows.

Read on for all the latest updates from practice and qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix.

Hamilton Takes Pole Ahead of Raikkonen and Vettel as Rosberg Struggles

OLIVIER MORIN/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton chalked up his 11th pole position out of a possible 12 in the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday, as he went fastest in qualifying ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Nico Rosberg had an afternoon to forget as he came home in fourth, while Sebastian Vettel took third, as we see below:

POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME
1	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:23.397
2	KIMI RAIKKONEN	FERRARI	1:23.631
3	SEBASTIAN VETTEL	FERRARI	1:23.685
4	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:23.703
5	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:23.940
6	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:24.127
7	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:24.626
8	ROMAIN GROSJEAN	LOTUS	1:25.054
9	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:25.317
10	MARCUS ERICSSON	SAUBER	1:26.214
11	PASTOR MALDONADO	LOTUS	1:24.525
12	FELIPE NASR	SAUBER	1:24.898
13	CARLOS SAINZ	TORO ROSSO	1:25.618
14	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL	1:25.796
15	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL	NO TIME
16	JENSON BUTTON	MCLAREN	1:26.058
17	FERNANDO ALONSO	MCLAREN	1:26.154
18	WILL STEVENS	MARUSSIA	1:27.731
19	ROBERTO MERHI	MARUSSIA	1:27.912
20	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	NO TIME

Hamilton set the bar at 1:24:251 in Q1, before his team-mate Rosberg came around half-a-second slower to top the leaderboard early on.

However, the Ferrari duo were lurking with intent, and you got the sense that they were going to give Rosberg a run for his money.

Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo recovered from a terminal engine failure in FP3 to just sneak into Q2, but there was no place in the line-up for Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Will Stevens, Roberto Merhi and Max Verstappen.

It was business as usual from Hamilton in Q2, as he set a 1:23:383 before taking refuge in the pit; while elsewhere, the pattern for the rest of qualifying emerged, as Rosberg could keep pace with Raikkonen and Vettel.

It all set up an entertaining Q3, and BBC Sport’s Tom Clarkson reflected on as much, saying that it was very much a three-horse race for second place behind Hamilton: “Lewis Hamilton looks unstoppable, but it is the fight behind between the two Ferraris and Rosberg—there is nothing to separate them.”

They were certainly separated as Q3 got under way, though, as Rosberg’s time of 1:23:942 left him languishing in fifth place.

There just wasn’t any bite to the German’s driving. He wasn’t attacking the Monza track as you’d expect—and Ferrari took full advantage.

Both Vettel and Raikkonen moved into the top three after the first attempt, but it was the latter who stormed ahead in Round 2 to beat his team-mate by five-hundredths of a second.

Hamilton couldn’t improve on his Q3 time of 1:23:397, but such was his early pace that he didn’t need to, and pole rightly went his way.

Still, the day belonged to Ferrari, as they made brilliant progress and put themselves very much in contention for Sunday’s race.

Vettel has previously experienced success at Monza, while Raikkonen looks in excellent form heading into the race. Plus, the Ferrari cars finally look like they can compete.

The team didn’t quite have the speed to worry Hamilton in Belgium, but they can certainly give it a good go at the Italian Grand Prix.

It’s all set up for a dramatic race in Monza. Hamilton remains the man to beat—as always—but he’ll very much be looking over his shoulder on Sunday.

FP3: Lewis Hamilton Continues Impressive Form with Fastest Final Session

OLIVIER MORIN/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton produced a stunning display to go fastest in the final practice session of the Italian Grand Prix, as he toppled Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by two-tenths of a second.

The Englishman posted a 1:24:544 to take top spot and will head into Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session full of confidence.

The Mercedes duo of Hamiltona and Rosberg didn’t set lap times until 40 minutes into the session, but the German’s first attempt of 1:25:480 was enough to propel him to first place.

Sunshine in Monza meant that the track was firming up, and the softs were coming out across the board, with which Hamilton took full advantage with a stunning run.

Rosberg responded with a 1:24:843, but it was only enough to take him to third fastest, with Vettel narrowly in front.

The Ferrari star struggled in Friday’s practice session yet looked far more comfortable in FP3.

He quickly set the pace alongside team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, and BBC Sport’s Allan McNish said that Vettel’s position in second at the close of play is a welcome sight: “Sebastian Vettel was a lot closer than he was on Friday and hopefully that will continue because a Ferrari on the front row would make it interesting on Sunday."

Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo was forced to retire with engine issues, which Formula 1 confirmed were “terminal.”

The Red Bull racer hasn’t been in the best form in Italy, and this latest setback could prove too much for him to recover from.

Hamilton, meanwhile, looks nothing short of electric heading into the qualifying session.

The world champion has recorded 10 poles from a possible 11 so far this season, and it would be far from a surprise to see No. 12 on Saturday.

POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME
1	LEWIS HAMILTON	MERCEDES	1:24.544
2	SEBASTIAN VETTEL	FERRARI	1:24.808
3	NICO ROSBERG	MERCEDES	1:24.843
4	VALTTERI BOTTAS	WILLIAMS	1:24.946
5	FELIPE MASSA	WILLIAMS	1:25.165
6	PASTOR MALDONADO	LOTUS	1:25.242
7	KIMI RAIKKONEN	FERRARI	1:25.244
8	SERGIO PEREZ	FORCE INDIA	1:25.515
9	MARCUS ERICSSON	SAUBER	1:25.692
10	ROMAIN GROSJEAN	LOTUS	1:25.747
11	FELIPE NASR	SAUBER	1:25.912
12	NICO HULKENBERG	FORCE INDIA	1:26.141
13	FERNANDO ALONSO	MCLAREN	1:26.632
14	JENSON BUTTON	MCLAREN	1:26.750
15	WILL STEVENS	MARUSSIA	1:28.123
16	MAX VERSTAPPEN	TORO ROSSO	1:28.215
17	DANIIL KVYAT	RED BULL RACING	1:28.591
18	CARLOS SAINZ	TORO ROSSO	1:28.628
19	ROBERTO MERHI	MARUSSIA	1:29.117
20	DANIEL RICCIARDO	RED BULL RACING	1:29.900

FP2: Hamilton Leads Mercedes Domination

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/Getty Images

Mercedes maintained their stranglehold over the rest of the field at Monza, as Lewis Hamilton topped the standings in the second practice session on Friday.

Nico Rosberg was comfortably in second spot once again, as the Silver Arrows laid down an ominous marker ahead of Saturday’s qualifying. Sebastian Vettel gave the Ferrari fanatics something to smile about, as he was third-fastest for the second time in the day.

The upgraded Mercedes engine seems to have given their drivers even more pace around this speed-inducing circuit, and once again, Hamilton and Rosberg looked a cut above the chasing pack.

Therefore, the only question to answer at the top was which man would be quicker. Initially, it looked likely to be Rosberg, as he topped the standings in the early stages on the medium tyre. But Hamilton shaved off some more time before Vettel, on the soft compound, got in the mix, moving ahead of both Mercedes men.

But it wasn’t long before normal service was resumed, with Hamilton moving into first position on the soft tyres. Rosberg, who was quickest through the first two sectors, lost time in the Curva Parabolica and slotted into second.

As noted on the Formula One Twitter feed, the Mercedes-powered cars had a lot more torque than the rest of the field.

Elsewhere, a hair-raising day for Toro Rosso continued. Carlos Sainz ran his car into the gravel at the final bend earlier in the day, and Max Verstappen followed suit in FP2, with the teenager losing control of the rear heading into Ascari. Unlike Sainz, he was eventually able to pull his car out of the gravel.

For McLaren, it was another grim 90 minutes. After curtailing their first practice session prematurely to make amendments to the car, Jenson Button suffered a water leak in FP2. Subsequently, the Brit was unable to get any laps of note in at all, although Fernando Alonso did put some useful laps on the board.

The final stages of the practice session saw the drivers put in some longer stints, and the times posted by Hamilton and Rosberg suggest we could be in for a brilliant tussle on race day. But given how little there is between the two drivers, it also makes the final practice session and qualifying important on Saturday.

At the moment, Hamilton seems to have the edge in a one-lap shootout, meaning Rosberg will have to dig deep to prevent his team-mate from taking pole position. With a 28-point gap to make up, for the sake of his lingering world championship hopes, it’s imperative he does so.

Here's a look at Friday's second practice times in full, per Formula1.com:

Pos.	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1.	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:24.279	27
2.	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+0.021	35
3.	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.759	36
4.	Sergio Perez	Force India	+0.999	34
5.	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+1.046	43
6.	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	+1.101	39
7.	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	+1.218	41
8.	Pastor Maldonando	Lotus	+1.234	41
9.	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	+1.368	34
10.	Felipe Massa	Williams	+1.612	31
11.	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	+1.835	30
12.	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.854	32
13.	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	+1.943	27
14.	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	+2.175	30
15.	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	+2.362	58
16.	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.687	31
17.	Will Stevens	Marussia	+3.922	29
18.	Roberto Merhi	Marussia	+4.160	27
19.	Jenson Button	McLaren	+4.192	3
20.	Daniel Kvyat	Red Bull	+4.444	28

FP1: Hamilton Well on Top in Opening Practice

Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton got his weekend off to a quality start at the Italian Grand Prix, as he finished comfortably atop the time sheets ahead of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in first practice.

The reigning world champion was just shy of half-a-second clear of the German, as he continued to ride the momentum from his win at Spa last time out. Mercedes were completely dominant throughout the session, as expected, with Ferrari star Sebastian Vettel their closest competitor in third position, more than one-and-a-half seconds back on Hamilton.

As shown on the Formula One Twitter feed, Ferrari were paying tribute to Justin Wilson, the IndyCar driver who tragically died in a crash last month, with an emblem on their helmets.

Carlos Sainz endured a turbulent start to his weekend, as he spun off into the final corner after a rear lock-up, prompting the first red flag of the grand prix weekend and a minor delay.

When the action resumed, Hamilton flexed his muscles, roaring to the top of the standings with a time that was almost a second quicker than the best Rosberg could initially muster. As the session passed the halfway point, only Vettel was anywhere near the scorching pace being set by the Silver Arrows.

Midway through the session, Mercedes’ dominance over the rest of the teams involved was demonstrated by the speed track rankings, passed along by the official Formula One Twitter account. 

Eventually Rosberg was able to hook it up with 30 minutes remaining in the session, edging in front of his team-mate. But Hamilton quickly seized top spot back, chopping three-10ths off the German’s fastest lap time.

McLaren’s troubles showed no signs of abating during their first run out. After news broke on Thursday that Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso would be starting from the back of the field because of an engine penalty, per Andrew Benson of BBC Sport, both cars were being examined for the majority of FP1 before the team announced a premature finish on their Twitter feed.

Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg also had an eventful session, with a pretty worrying issue reported by the German driver, as noted by BBC1. A possible petrol leak saw the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015 winner head to the pits.

The two Mercedes men traded blows for the final 10 minutes and both improved their time again. But it was the reigning world champion who remained at the top of the standings, posting an impressive marker of 1:24.670.

Both Hamilton and Rosberg will have been pleased enough to get through this first stint without incident, and the speed they showcased around this circuit bodes well for Mercedes and shows they are going to be very tough to beat this weekend.

It was also an encouraging session for Vettel, who finished up in third place. He’ll be hoping to preserve momentum from this solid start in FP2 later on Friday and somehow bridge the gap to the dominant Mercedes duo.

Here's a look at Friday's first practice times in full:

POS.	DRIVER	TEAM	TIME	GAP	LAPS
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:24.670		25
2	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:25.133	+0.463s	22
3	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:26.258	+1.588s	17
4	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:26.612	+1.942s	19
5	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:26.730	+2.060s	29
6	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:26.783	+2.113s	16
7	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:26.922	+2.252s	27
8	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:26.936	+2.266s	22
9	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:27.075	+2.405s	25
10	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:27.118	+2.448s	28
11	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	1:27.232	+2.562s	21
12	Daniil Kyvat	Red Bull	1:27.275	+2.605s	29
13	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:27.454	+2.784s	17
14	Max Verstappen	Toro Rosso	1:27.591	+2.921s	27
15	Jolyon Palmer	Lotus	1:27.669	+2.999s	28
16	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:27.907	+3.237s	8
17	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:28.023	+3.353s	11
18	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:28.423	+3.753s	12
19	Will Stevens	Marussia	1:29.853	+5.183s	22
20	Roberto Merhi	Marussia	1:29.911	+5.241s	12