Max Verstappen sets a Monza lap record in Monza Qualifying to take F1 Italian GP pole.
Max Verstappen delivered when it mattered. A 1:18.792, a new lap record, to put his Red Bull on pole for the Italian Grand Prix. Just 0.077s ahead of Lando Norris, with Oscar Piastri another tenth back.
Charles Leclerc lit up the tifosi with a flash of purple, but the roar did not last. The Ferrari driver had to settle for fourth as Verstappen struck back.
Q1: Hadjar out, Alpine stumble
Isack Hadjar’s qualifying unravelled early. Out in Q1, then hit with an engine penalty that pushes him to the back of the grid. “Dirty air caused understeer and I ran off track. It’s not straightforward, but I’ll try my best to move forward,” he admitted.
Alpine fared no better. Franco Colapinto dropped out with balance issues, Pierre Gasly slid wide at Lesmo 2. A double exit on the same day Gasly confirmed his Alpine contract through 2028. “It’s been a big day,” he said. “Extending my contract is special, even if qualifying was tough.” Full Story here
Lance Stroll also fell at the first cut. Liam Lawson could not squeeze enough out of his Racing Bull. At the sharp end, Verstappen, Norris, Piastri and Leclerc eased through.
Q2:Sainz misses, Norris scrapes through
Carlos Sainz, now fronting Williams, could not find the grip to progress. A painful elimination for the Italian crowd who still link him to Ferrari.
Nico Hülkenberg followed, along with Alex Albon’s Williams. Haas suffered a double blow as Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman were both eliminated.
Norris came close to joining them. A deleted lap for cutting the chicane left him under pressure, but he regrouped on fresh tyres and made the cut. “It was up and down for me but to get it right at the end is a good feeling,” Norris explained.
Q3: Verstappen strikes
Charles Leclerc put Ferrari briefly on top with a 1:18.923. The tifosi roared. Flags filled the main straight.
Oscar Piastri then grabbed provisional pole. Norris responded with a tow, edging into first. “Turn 1 was average, the rest was tidy,” Piastri said. “It’s been tight all weekend.”
Then came Verstappen. Clean, fast, decisive. A tenth up. 1:18.792. New lap record. Silence from the grandstands, broken only by Red Bull cheers. “Here with low downforce it’s always difficult to nail the lap,” Verstappen said. “Q3 felt good. The changes gave me the chance to push more.”
Norris had one last shot. He closed the gap to 0.077s but could not topple Verstappen. Piastri settled into third, just 0.027s off his teammate.
Behind them, Hamilton was fifth on raw pace, but his penalty drops him to tenth. Russell inherits the spot, though not without radio frustration over tyre choice. That shuffle lifts rookie Kimi Antonelli to sixth at his home race, with Gabriel Bortoleto seventh. Alonso eighth, Tsunoda ninth, Hamilton tenth once the penalty bites.
Standout stories
- Kimi Antonelli – Sixth in front of his home crowd, the Mercedes rookie kept the Italian fans on their feet.
- Gabriel Bortoleto – Career-best qualifying with seventh for Sauber.
- Ferrari – Leclerc teased pole but was forced to watch Verstappen steal it back.
F1 Monza starting grid
Max Verstappen starts from pole after setting a new lap record, alone on the front row without a teammate alongside.
Both McLarens are lined up right behind him. Lando Norris in P2, Oscar Piastri just a tenth further back in P3.
Charles Leclerc holds fourth for Ferrari, carrying the hopes of the tifosi into Turn 1. George Russell inherits fifth after Hamilton’s penalty, a small boost on a weekend where Mercedes are still finding balance.
Sixth goes to Kimi Antonelli, the rookie making his home debut in front of the Monza crowd. Gabriel Bortoleto lines up seventh, his career-best grid slot with Sauber.
Fernando Alonso slots into eighth, Yuki Tsunoda ninth, with Lewis Hamilton shuffled down to tenth after his five-place penalty.
Further back, Carlos Sainz will start 11th for Williams, Oliver Bearman 12th in the Haas. Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg take 13th and 14th, while Alex Albon is 15th for Williams.
Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly lock out row nine for Alpine. Lance Stroll is 18th in the Aston Martin, ahead of Liam Lawson in 19th. Isack Hadjar, carrying an engine penalty, will begin from the very back.
Sunday ahead
Verstappen starts alone up front. Norris and Piastri sit right behind, Ferrari on row two.
Russell’s Mercedes is inside the top five, Hamilton is buried in the midfield. Antonelli and Bortoleto both start in the top seven, giving Italy extra reason to cheer.
Pole for Verstappen. McLaren poised to swarm. Ferrari waiting. Lights out for the Italian Grand Prix is Sunday, 3pm local time.
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