Max Verstappen loudly booed by Italian Grand Prix crowd after qualifying upset

02 September 2023 , 15:39

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Max Verstappen loudly booed by Italian Grand Prix crowd after qualifying upset

Max Verstappen was booed loudly by the Monza crowd after he was beaten to pole position by Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard sent the Tifosi into raptures by ensuring a Ferrari would start Sunday's race on pole position. It will make them dream of a fairytale victory at the team's home race, though Verstappen went second quickest to make sure he will put pressure on Sainz from the start.

That meant he held off the challenge of Charles Leclerc who was also gunning for pole. The Monegasque had to settle for third place on the grid, behind the Red Bull racer who managed to at least prevent the perfect result for Ferrari.

And the Monza crowd appeared annoyed that Verstappen had denied their beloved team a front row lock-out. Regardless, despite a chorus of boos as he appeared on the grid for his post-session interview, the championship leader maintained his smile and his composure.

"It was good and I think we made good improvements from yesterday," said Verstappen of his session. "In qualifying, you could see that in every session it was very tight, so I'm happy to be second.

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"It's nice to see [Ferrari do well]. Of course, tomorrow we'll try to win the race. Normally we have a quick race car. We'll just enjoy today and then we will focus on tomorrow."

Appearing directly after Verstappen, Sainz was greeted by a huge roar which made the grin on the Spaniard's face even wider. "It was an intense qualifying, especially in Q3 when all three of us went for it and we were on the limit on that last lap," he said as the crowd sang his name behind him.

"I went for it and it worked well, thank god, because I really pushed the car. Since I crossed the finish line, the whole in-lap I was watching the crowd. Getting out of the car and seeing this... it's incredible. Everywhere we go there's noise, support and encouragement. It's the best feeling you can have as a driver."

He sparked another roar of approval as he declared the podium was his "number one target" for Sunday. Sainz added: "Tomorrow I'm going to give it everything to hold on to that P1. A good start, a good first stint and see if we can battle Max. Normally he's quicker in the long runs, but I'm going to give it my all."

Daniel Moxon