Char’s a star

LECLERC BRINGS IT HOME

- JOHN NORFOLK

CHARLES LECLERC put his Ferrari on pole position for the Italian Grand Prix to the delight of the Monza crowd.

Leclerc pulled out all the stops in his final run at the Temple of Speed to send the Tifosi wild, with world champ Max Verstappen having to settle for second.

Verstappen will likely start in fourth, with the Dutchman one of nine of the 20 drivers punished for exceeding their allocated engine parts. Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton qualified third, fourth and fifth respectively but also face grid sanctions.

Hamilton will start from the back after taking on his fourth engine of the season. George Russell was sixth but joins Leclerc on the front row while Lando Norris qualified in seventh but is set to start third in his McLaren.