Hamilton's pole position quest derailed by Monza's final corner

Lewis Hamilton's frustration at the Italian Grand Prix qualifying session was palpable, with the seven-time World Champion expressing his fury over a missed opportunity for pole position.

Now, Mercedes has shed light on the exact moment that cost Hamilton his shot at the front row, revealing striking GPS data that supports the British driver's claims.

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' trackside engineering director, has provided insight into the razor-thin margins that separated the top qualifiers at Monza.

The data paints a picture of just how close Hamilton came to challenging for pole, only to have his hopes dashed in the final moments of his lap.

The pivotal final corner

According to Shovlin, Hamilton's qualifying lap was on par with pole-sitter Lando Norris until the very last corner of the circuit.

"Going into that final corner, we were within half a tenth of Lando and his pole position lap,"

Shovlin explained.

"But then the last corner for Lewis didn't work out particularly well."

This crucial error in the final moments of the lap proved costly, with Hamilton ultimately settling for sixth on the grid.

The frustration stemming from this near-miss was evident in Hamilton's post-session comments to Sky F1, where he stated,

"Absolutely furious, because I could have been pole."

Tight margins at the front

The Italian Grand Prix qualifying session highlighted the incredibly competitive nature of the current Formula 1 field.

Shovlin noted that the fight for grid positions has extended further down the order than in previous seasons.

"What we've seen in the recent races is that fights for the front of the grid is actually extending all the way down to P7, P8,"

Shovlin remarked.

"You can get so many cars there within two tenths of a second, and that's the sort of margin where it really comes down to whether the drivers put that lap together."

This tight competition means that even the smallest errors can have significant consequences.

For Hamilton, the miscalculation in the final corner was enough to drop him from a potential pole position to sixth on the grid.

Teammate comparison

George Russell, Hamilton's teammate, faced a similar scenario but managed to secure third place on the grid.

Shovlin commented on the parallels between the two Mercedes drivers' performances:

"Not a dissimilar story with George as well, he was going pretty close going into that final corner, it was a bit better for him and that earned him the P3 position."

The difference in the final corner execution between Hamilton and Russell ultimately resulted in a three-place grid advantage for the younger Briton.

Looking ahead

While Hamilton managed to improve his position to fifth in the race, the qualifying session at Monza serves as a stark reminder of the fine margins in Formula 1.

As the season progresses, Mercedes will undoubtedly be focusing on maximizing every opportunity in qualifying to secure better grid positions.

The team's willingness to share detailed GPS data demonstrates their commitment to transparency and improvement.

It also highlights the ongoing challenge faced by even the most experienced drivers in extracting the absolute maximum performance from their cars, especially in the high-pressure environment of Q3.

As the championship battle intensifies, these moments of missed opportunity could prove crucial.

Hamilton and Mercedes will be keen to iron out such small errors in the upcoming races, knowing that in the current competitive landscape, pole position – and potentially race victories – can be decided by mere hundredths of a second.