Hamilton: "Given the gap, it will be difficult against Verstappen"

Lewis Hamilton managed to achieve his 95th pole position of his career. The Mugello circuit becomes his 28th different venue to record the feat at. Teammate Valtteri Bottas was actually faster for almost the entire weekend, but in the end, it is the world champion who wins when it matters.

“To be honest it has been a difficult weekend. Trying to learn a new circuit was more difficult than usual. It was all about trust and not making mistakes during the free practice sessions," Hamilton said.

“In the end, it worked. I kept working on it. I think if we had done another session, I could have gone even faster. But I was up to speed in Q2 and Q3 at just the right time," a satisfied Hamilton told Ziggo Sport. "So it was an exciting qualifying session, something Hamilton thinks will be the same during the race on Sunday.