Max Verstappen delivered when it mattered most to grab a surprising pole position for the Italian Grand Prix, surpassing McLaren’s Lando Norris to put Red Bull back on top at the Temple of Speed.
The Dutchman, who endured a miserable weekend at Monza last season, underlined his and Red Bull’s turnaround by setting a 1m18.792s on his final Q3 run – enough to eclipse Norris by less than a tenth.
Thanks to the efficiency of Red Bull’s lower-downforce package,Verstappen looked formidable in the high-speed first and third sectors. After laying down the benchmark of 1m18.923s on his opening Q3 lap, he found even more time to seal pole with a final flourish.
Norris, by contrast, had to battle his way through a tricky qualifying. A mistake in Q2 forced him to regroup, and with Hamilton temporarily dropping him into the danger zone, McLaren asked him to complete a banker lap and carefully cool his tyres before a last-gasp attempt.
That lap delivered, sneaking him into Q3 and setting up his recovery.
Although his first Q3 run left him half a second down on Verstappen, Norris fought back with a 1m18.869s to briefly claim provisional pole, only for Verstappen to strike back immediately.
Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, ensured both McLarens featured near the front. His best lap left him third fastest, just over a tenth shy of his team-mate, confirming McLaren’s threat on outright pace.
He will share the second row with Charles Leclerc, who was left frustrated after failing to improve on his opening 1m19.007s attempt. Despite the passionate support of the tifosi, Ferrari could not deliver a front-row challenge.
Lewis Hamilton secured fifth on the grid, narrowly beating Mercedes’ George Russell, who had unsuccessfully requested to attempt his final Q3 run on medium tyres.
Rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed with seventh, while rookie Gabriel Bortoleto grabbed eighth after again outqualifying Sauber team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.
Fernando Alonso slotted his Aston Martin into ninth, with Yuki Tsunoda completing the top 10 – the Japanese driver playing a useful supporting role for Verstappen in Q3.
Just missing out on a Q3 berth was Haas rookie Oliver Bearman, who fell in Q2 despite being within three tenths of Verstappen’s session-topping time. Hulkenberg joined him in elimination, continuing his struggles against Bortoleto.
Williams failed to convert promising practice speed into results. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon could do no better than 13th and 14th, while Esteban Ocon also fell in Q2.
The biggest casualty of Q1 was Dutch GP podium finisher Isack Hadjar. The RB driver was only half a second away from Russell’s top time in the opening segment, but Albon’s late lap nudged him out by just 0.08s.
Already facing a grid penalty for power unit changes, Hadjar’s lowly grid slot will ease the blow.
Lance Stroll could not escape the bottom five despite improving on his last effort, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly both bowed out early. Liam Lawson brought up the rear after aborting his final run.
With Verstappen back on pole and Norris close behind, Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix promises a tantalising fight at Monza – and perhaps a chance for McLaren and Ferrari to spoil Red Bull’s revival at the Temple of Speed.
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