Qualifying duels: Verstappen extends lead, Bottas has small comeback

Valtteri Bottas took first place in today's qualifying session at Monza. Officially, this performance is not seen as pole position, as this prize is only awarded after the sprint race on Saturday. However, we can once again look at the standings in the qualifying duels between the teammates. Who beat their teammate this time?

Max Verstappen again defeated teammate Sergio Perez, who finished only ninth. Verstappen does owe his third place to the Mexican, who provided him with a slipstream. Valtteri Bottas, perhaps unexpectedly, picks up a point on Lewis Hamilton. However, it's nowhere near enough to take the lead in the duel.

The gap between the two McLaren drivers was very small, but Lando Norris was this time faster than teammate Daniel Ricciardo, after the Australian was the fastest two weekends in a row. Nevertheless, the former Red Bull driver showed here that he still has it in him.

The exciting battle between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon continues. Because Alonso was faster than his teammate today, the two drivers are now evenly matched in the duel. It is a great performance by Frenchman Ocon, who so far has shown he can stand up well to the world champion.

Red Bull: Verstappen - Perez 13-1

Mercedes: Hamilton - Bottas 10-4

McLaren: Ricciardo - Norris 5-9

Ferrari: Leclerc - Sainz 10-4

Aston Martin: Vettel - Stroll 9-5

Alpine: Alonso - Ocon 7-7

AlphaTauri: Gasly - Tsunoda 14-0

Alfa Romeo: Giovinazzi - Raikkonen 9-4

Williams: Russell - Latifi 14-0

Haas: Schumacher - Mazepin 12-2