Adrian Sutil put Force India on the front row of the starting grid at Monza by qualifying in his VJM02. Hamilton just managed to grab the pole from Sutil in the closing seconds of the third qualifying session. Teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi, who was in the car replacing Giancarlo Fisichella, qualified a respectable seventh. A small note of vindication for Force India fans; Giancarlo Fisichella, who moved to Ferrari from Force India, qualified fourteenth.

This remarkable performance goes another step towards erasing the 'backmarker' tag off Force India. It shows that the strong performance at Spa was not simply luck and that Force India has developed a highly effective car that can perform well in a wide variety of circuits and conditions. The car is well balanced, reliable and highly competitive. The team have done a tremendous job of putting together a top class car on a limited budget.

The Italian circuit, Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a wide and clear track, with long straights and minimal curves. Rich in history, heritage and atmosphere. It is home to the Ferrari Racing team. The long straights will heavily favor the KERS enabled cars, but the curves are broad and offer plenty of overtaking opportunity.
It was at Monza, that Michael Schumacher announced his retirement from Formula 1 racing at the end of the 2006 season, after winning the 2006 Italian GP.

Although a pole finish may be a long shot, a third place for Force India looks feasible. But then again, optimism never hurt anyone. Did it?

Links:

• Qualifying Results: http://bit.ly/3Y7s9s
• Autodromo Nazionale Monza: http://bit.ly/zqU0e
• How the VJM02 is built: http://bit.ly/2rv49