Lando Norris found a toe-hold of hope in his faltering world championship bid when he outqualified his rival Oscar Piastri ahead of the Italian Grand Prix – but Max Verstappen took pole by dint of his own genius.
Norris overcame a trying afternoon to set the second quickest time at Monza, 0.077sec back from the Dutchman. Piastri was more than a tenth further behind in third.
Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton fifth, though the Briton will start 10th when his five-place grid penalty from last weekend in Holland is applied – a cruel handicap on his first Italian Grand Prix in red.
Norris needed this boost after an oil leak ended his race Zandvoort last Sunday. He sat on a sand dune that crushing afternoon, his emotions torn apart, as he fell 34 points adrift of Piastri at the summit.
Norris did not have a faultless afternoon here either. He locked up under braking in his first run of Q2, losing valuable time at the opening Variante del Rettifilo. He was chasing his tail from then onwards, needing a fast final lap of that session to make it into the top-10 shootout.
His supporters at the back of the garage breathed a sigh of relief as he did the necessary – a sixth place that was hardly convincing going into the all-important Q3.
Max Verstappen made history as he claimed pole at qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix
The Dutchman set a Formula One record by recording a 1min 18.792sec lap at the Monza circuit
The first runs saw Verstappen lead the way – Norris in seventh. Verstappen was followed by Leclerc, 0.084sec back. Piastri was third, yet 0.377sec ahead of Norris – a terrible predicament made worse by lying half-a-second off Verstappen.
They went again – the final twist. Verstappen improved on his time. As did Norris and Piastri. The Ferraris did not.
Hamilton, in fact, laboured throughout the afternoon – 12th in Q1, ninth in Q2 before finding some extra speed in Q3. Leclerc led the timesheets at one stage to huge cheers from the faithful.
George Russell qualified fifth for Mercedes, a place above his fellow Silver Arrow driver Kimi Antonelli, competing on home soil.
Verstappen’s pole was his first since Silverstone in July and was a personal achievement, rather than a team one, given that the other Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda was only 10th fastest.
Verstappen set a track record – of 1min 18.792sec – in the process. To do so, the Dutchman averaged an astonishing average speed of 264.682km/h throughout.
What a difference a week made for Isack Hadjar. After his first podium in Zandvoort, the talented Frenchman was eliminated from Q1 and will start 16th. Liam Lawson in the other Racing Bull was last of the 20.
Briton Ollie Bearman qualified 11th for Haas, four places and two-tenths ahead of his Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon.
London-born Thai Alex Albon was 14th fastest for Williams, a place below Carlos Sainz, who a year ago was driving here for Ferrari prior to Hamilton’s arrival.
