5 things we learned from Italian GP Qualifying

Qualifying went as expected at the Italian Grand Prix as Mercedes continued to lead the pack. Lewis Hamilton finished on pole for the race, while the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel followed in 2nd and 3rd. Here are 5 things you need to know ahead of tonight’s race:

#1 Mercedes continue to dominate

Mercedes AMG Petronas spent all their remaining tokens on upgrades to the power unit, saying in a statement they were targetted towards improving reliability. Nico Rosberg was due to take on grid penalties for using the upgraded engine, but in the end did not end up using it. As a result, he did not take on those penalties.

He also suffered, however. The new units were clearly superior, with Hamilton fast right off the bat at the beginning of qualifying. Rosberg, without the upgrades, was left behind in 4th position at the end of qualifying.

Team officials later said Rosberg’s issue had been with a coolant leak in another part of his car, and not the new power unit. Irrespective, Hamilton, on the new power units, was fastest.

#2 Ferrari are back

The home team at this race, Ferrari have more than their own pride to race for today. Home fans, or tifosi as they are known, are famously strong in their unwavering loyalty to the team, and Raikkonen and Vettel will have to live up to this. The drivers finished well at qualifying yesterday, with Raikkonen outperforming his 4-time world champion teammate Vettel.

Raikkonen was only 0.25s behind polesitter Hamilton, so it looks hopeful that the team will do well today. The Iceman has never won at the race, however, and polesitters at Monza have tended to win the race as well, as Hamilton did last year.

Vettel has won at Monza before – a whopping three times, twice with Red Bull and once with Toro Rosso, and will look to build on his wealth of experience here.

#3 McLaren\'s woes continue

The team reportedly brought upgraded power units to Monza, taking on penalties for this as well. This seems to have helped nothing, however, as the pair of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso were both eliminated in Q1 after finishing 16^th and 17th in qualifying respectively.

Honda motor chief Yasuhisa Arai was grilled by media at the event, but said he had “nothing to be ashamed of”, unapologetic of his team’s failures.

Two-time World Champion Alonso was not positive about his team’s prospects at the race, saying McLaren had “no hope” at Monza.

#4 Red Bull fight.. engines

Infiniti Red Bull racing also brought upgraded power units to the Italian Grand Prix, with Daniil Kvyat taking 35 grid penalties for an upgraded power unit from manufacturers Renault.

Teammate Daniel Ricciardo will take 50 as he also had additional changes to other components of his car. The two Red Bulls had enjoyed a sudden upswing at the Hungarian Grand Prix, both finishing on the podium following a season full of constant engine issues.

This does not seem to have lasted long, however, and Kvyat and Ricciardo will start in 18th and 19th respectively ahead of today’s race. In addition, team principal Christian Horner described Ricciardo’s brand new engine as ‘terminal.’

#5 A penalty-rich race

A whopping 168 penalties in total have been handed out ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo tops the list with 50 for changes to his engine and power unit while teammate Kvyat has 35.

In what has become routine for the team, both McLarens – Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button – will also take penalties. Alonso has 10, while Button has 5. While the Briton begins in 15^th today, the Spaniard will begin in 16^th.

Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen will have a drive-through penalty for unsafe release during qualifying, where he did not set a time. The teen, who at 17-years-old is the youngest driver on the grid, lost his engine cover after it was improperly secured. He also has a 10 place penalty because his crew broke the seals of his engine without permission, and the Dutch driver will begin from the back of the grid today.