Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team's Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll narrowly missed Q3 in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix’s Sprint, securing 11th and 12th respectively.
The pair had shown strong pace in the morning's only practice session, as Lance and Sebastian finished in fourth and sixth, steering the 007-liveried AMR21s to promising positions.
Sebastian
Formula One has returned to the Sprint format and Soft tyes are mandated throughout qualifying.
Immediately, the classic Monza qualifying conditions came to the fore: traffic, slipstreaming and track evolution, making for an ever-changing timesheet.
Sebastian quickly took to the circuit and fired in a 1.21.141 lap time for fifth, but, at the culmination of his three-lap stint, lay 16th.
The four-time World Champion would make sure of his Q2 place on his second run when he improved his best time to 1.21.394 and took 10th.
Q2 proved even more competitive, and just a few hundredths of a second would decide the field for Q3.
Sebastian was again quick to complete his first flying lap, touring in 1.21.227 to take an initial seventh place.
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Timing was everything for the second run, and Sebastian was able to begin his flying lap with just under a minute on the clock, helping him to take advantage of track evolution.
He would lap in 1.20.913 and look set for a Q3 berth, only for a flurry of late lap times to knock him into 11th by a few hundredths of a second.
Sebastian will start the Sprint in 11th as a result, but with a strong chance of securing a top 10 starting position for the Grand Prix.
"It was very busy on track with everybody trying to find a tow and in the end, we just missed out on making Q3 by three-hundredths.
"I was happy with my lap in Q2: it was a good lap, but it could have been a little cleaner in the middle sector.
"It is a shame to miss Q3 by a small margin, but I still believe we can make up ground tomorrow to be in a stronger position for Sunday when it matters most."
Lance
Lance would closely match Sebastian throughout Q1 and Q2 as Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team came close to both cars in Q3.
The Canadian initially soared to third on his opening run in Q1 after lapping in 1.21.955 but was swiftly moved down to 14th as track evolution bolstered rival lap times.
But Lance responded strongly in his final stint to improve to 1.21.495, finishing neck and neck with Sebastian, and taking 11th at the flag.
Momentum remained with Lance in Q2 as he looked set for a Q3 place. He navigated the difficult traffic conditions as drivers searched for tows to find clear air, punching in a 1.21.036 lap time.
It left Lance in eighth as the field began to prepare for their second runs, but an increasingly congested track and improving lap times meant the race was on for Q3.
A marginal improvement to 1.21.020 meant he narrowly fell short, so Lance will line up in P12 alongside Sebastian in the Sprint, with both cars in a position to make ground up.
"It is a pity to have narrowly missed out on Q3. It was a solid effort by the team and we were able to get in some good laps despite the challenges Monza always throws up in qualifying.
"Traffic was an issue for everyone and it was difficult to find good tows.
"While it is disappointing not to have made Q3, tomorrow’s Sprint race should give us the opportunities to gain places and start Sunday’s race inside the top 10."
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