Monza witnessed a thrilling qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen snatching pole position from the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The Red Bull driver delivered a stunning performance, setting a new track record with a lap time of 1:18.792. Norris will start in second place, with Piastri behind him in third.
Verstappen's pole position marks a significant turnaround for Red Bull, who struggled at Monza last season. This year, however, the team has shown strong pace throughout the practice sessions, culminating in Verstappen's record-breaking lap. The Dutch driver's performance was all the more impressive considering the strong challenge from McLaren, who had looked like the favorites for pole after topping the time sheets in the practice sessions.
Lando Norris had been in impressive form leading up to qualifying. He topped the final practice session, setting up a potentially thrilling battle with Ferrari and McLaren. In final practice, Leclerc finished just 0.021 seconds behind Norris. Norris is currently trailing his teammate Piastri by 34 points in the championship race, and is looking to bounce back after a retirement in the previous race.
Oscar Piastri continued his strong season with another solid qualifying performance. The Australian driver will start the race in third place, giving McLaren a strong chance of challenging Verstappen for the win.
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will start in fourth and fifth place, respectively. While they couldn't quite match the pace of Red Bull and McLaren, both drivers will be hoping to put on a strong showing in front of their home crowd. Hamilton is carrying a five-place grid penalty into the race.
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start in sixth and seventh, respectively. Gabriel Bortoleto put in a noteworthy performance, qualifying eighth for Sauber. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) round out the top 10.
The qualifying session was closely contested, with the top 10 drivers separated by less than four-tenths of a second. This suggests that the race on Sunday could be a tight affair, with several drivers in contention for the win.
