As Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the Italian Grand Prix, securing a one-two with his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, any fears the constructors’ champions would be impaired by the ban on using qualifying engine modes that came in to effect here were summarily dismissed. Carlos Sainz in the McLaren equalled his best qualifying place of third but was in a different time zone, eight-tenths behind Hamilton. In stark contrast, and at their home race, Ferrari could manage only bitter milestones. This weekend is the first meeting where the teams have been banned from using qualifying modes for their engine. Mercedes have taken pole at all eight meetings this season and achieved a front-row lockout in all but one.

Source: The Guardian September 05, 2020 14:28 UTC