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Leclerc takes pole at Monza, Hamilton settles for 2nd

Mark Thompson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Riding high after Ferrari's first win of the 2019 season last weekend, Charles Leclerc claimed the pole for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday.

It's the 21st pole Ferrari has recorded at Monza - the most of any constructor. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, recorded the second-fastest time in qualifying at Monza in the Mercedes.

Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen - who clinched the pole with Ferrari last year - crashed during Q3, causing a session stoppage at about the halfway mark.

Once racing resumed, the drivers opted to stay in the paddock as long as possible, leading to a standoff to see which team would restart Q3 first and create a slipstream.

The standoff ate up approximately three of the 10 minutes allotted in the final qualifying round, and only Carlos Sainz was able to record a new lap time during an ultimately meaningless final trip around the circuit.

Despite a strong showing at practice, Max Verstappen didn't hit the track for qualifying due to a penalty that will send him to the back of the grid regardless.

Pos. Driver Team Time
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.307
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.039
3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.047
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.150
5 Daniel Ricciardo Renault +0.532
6 Nico Hulkenberg Renault +0.742
7 Carlos Sainz McLaren +1.148
8 Alexander Albon Red Bull NO TIME
9 Lance Stroll Racing Point NO TIME
10 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo NO TIME
11 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Q2
12 Kevin Magnussen Haas Q2
13 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso Q2
14 Lando Norris McLaren Q2
15 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso Q2
16 Romain Grosjean Haas Q1
17 Sergio Perez Racing Point Q1
18 George Russell Williams Q1
19 Robert Kubica Williams Q1
20 Max Verstappen Red Bull Q1

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