In a remarkable showing in Saturday’s qualifying at Monza, McLaren achieved a front-row lockout, with Lando Norris narrowly edging out his teammate Oscar Piastri to take his fourth pole of the 2024 F1 season.
In a closely disputed session, the McLaren pair followed a straightforward path to Q3. But so had its Mercedes and Ferrari rivals, leading to the prospect of an epic top-ten shootout.
While the Scuderia put in a spirited effort, as did Russell, there was no denying McLaren a papaya-themed front row, with Norris edging Piastri by just 0.109s, with their closest Mercedes rival clocking in 0.113s adrift.
Norris was his typical self-critical self at the end of his second hot lap, apologizing to the team for what he thought was mediocre lap, only for McLaren race engineer Will Joseph to tell him that his 1m19.327s lap had actually been good enough for pole!
McLaren’s supremacy was an unexpected feat as far as Norris was concerned.
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“To have two cars first and second when the field has been as tight as it has all weekend is a little bit of a surprise, but a nice one,” Norris said. “So a big well done to the team, they’ve done an amazing job.
“Honestly, my lap was – it hurts me to say – not a great lap. My Q3 run 1 was, but run 2 was a little bit more [compromised] and was still good enough for pole. So a little bit surprised again, but very, very happy.”
Interestingly, Norris denied that tow tactics had helped him or Piastri in the session, insisting that “we were quick on our own”, thanks to the top speed of McLaren’s MCL38.
"When you compare this year to last year, we're like 20km/h or something quicker in the straights," he said. "It's a lot.
“Last year we were pretty shocking in the straight, which came as a bit of a surprise, but it shows the difference between when you're not prepared to when you're prepared for a race, where we were last year to where we are now.”
Coming off a dominant win at Zandvoort last weekend, where he finished over 20 seconds ahead of the field, Norris warned that repeating such a performance would be challenging at Monza.
"Like we’ve seen all weekend, it’s so close," he remarked. "There’s a lot of very quick drivers behind in quick cars, so I’m not expecting a very easy race tomorrow."
Norris also pointed out the unpredictable factors that could influence the outcome on Sunday.
"A lot of unknown things going into the race with the degradation, the tyres, the tarmac. So plenty of question marks and plenty of excitement, I’m sure," he added, hinting at the possibility of a highly competitive race.
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri, who will start alongside Norris on the front row, was eager to improve on his performance from last weekend's race in Zandvoort, where he dropped from third to fourth.
"Starting a bit further up the front than last week is definitely a positive for myself," said the Aussie. "It’s obviously a long run down to turn one, so starting second here is not always the worst thing."
Last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix winner also commented on the unusual track conditions at Monza this weekend, suggesting that the race could be more unpredictable than usual.
"But let’s see what the tyres do tomorrow," he said. "It’s been a little bit different to what we’re used to in Monza, so it could be a pretty exciting race and with such a tight field at the front, I think it will be very exciting."
As both McLaren drivers prepare for what promises to be a thrilling race, the team will be aiming to convert their front-row start into a strong finish.
With the competition so close and many unknowns ahead, Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix looks set to provide fans with a dramatic race from start to finish.
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