The FIA has confirmed the much debated starting grid for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
The sheer number of engine-related grid demotions required the stewards to dig into the sporting rules on Saturday evening to build a proper grid.
But the effort has generated a lot of confusion among the fans and a need to review the rules for next season to make sure that an event's starting grid is aligned as much as possible with qualifying's pecking order.
However, the silver lining today is that the out-of-position starting order should guarantee fans some action-packed and thrilling opening laps as potentially faster drivers chase from behind while others - like McLaren's Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo and AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly, not to mention Williams rookie Nyck de Vries - will be determined to hold their own.
As expected, championship leader Max Verstappen will launch his race from seventh - and not fourth as reported by many outlets - while Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda will close out the starting order, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz lining up just ahead in P18.
Check out hereunder the final starting grid for the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.
2022 Italian Grand Prix - Final starting grid
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Session | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:20.161s | Q3 | |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:21.542s | Q3 | |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:21.584s | Q3 | |
| 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1:21.925s | Q3 | |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1:22.648s | Q3 | |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | No time | Q3 | |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:20.306s | Q3 | See [1] |
| 8 | Nyck de Vries | Williams | 1:22.471s | Q2 | |
| 9 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.577s | Q2 | |
| 10 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:22.587s | Q1 | |
| 11 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:22.636s | Q1 | |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:22.748s | Q1 | |
| 13 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:21.206s | Q3 | See [2] |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:22.130s | Q2 | See [3] |
| 15 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.235s | Q2 | See [4] |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:22.908s | Q1 | See [5] |
| 17 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:23.005s | Q1 | See [6] |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:20.429s | Q3 | See [7] |
| 19 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:21.524s | Q3 | See [8] |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | No time | Q2 | See [9] |
Notes
[1] 5 place grid penalty - engine components
[2] 10 place grid penalty - engine components
[3] 5 place grid penalty - engine components
[4] 15 place grid penalty - engine components
[5] 15 place grid penalty - engine components
[6] 15 place grid penalty - engine components
[7] 'Back of the grid' penalty - engine components
[8] 'Back of the grid' penalty - engine components
[9] 'Back of the grid' penalty - engine components
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