Lando Norris claims pole at Italian Grand Prix with Max Verstappen way back in seventh

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Lando Norris gave his championship hopes a boost by taking pole position for the Italian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver trails standings leader Max Verstappen by 70 points after his win last week in Zandvoort but the Dutchman could only qualify a relatively lowly seventh here at Monza. 
It is Norris’s fourth pole position of the season and the second in a row in a car that is proving to be the class of the field and on a variety of tracks. Oscar Piastri, his McLaren team-mate, was second, just 0.0109sec off the pole time. George Russell put in a lap good enough for third, whilst the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were fourth and fifth with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in sixth. Just 0.186sec separated Hamilton from Norris.
It was a different story for Red Bull, whose recent struggles continued with Verstappen’s worst qualifying performance of the season. The Dutchman was nearly 0.7sec off Norris’s lap time and struggled for raw pace and grip on both of his Q3 runs. That he only beat Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by 0.04sec underlines his performance. 
Norris was not especially happy with his pole lap, though, describing it as “s—”. No matter, it was good enough to beat everyone else. 
“Honestly my lap, it hurts me to say, was not a great lap. We’re still [fast] enough for pole. A little bit of a surprise, but we’re very happy,” he said after qualifying. 
“Really the same [for the race tomorrow] would be lovely. There’s a lot of very quick drivers behind in quick cars but I am not expecting an easy race tomorrow. 
“A lot of unknown things going into the race… plenty of question marks and plenty of excitement, I am sure.”
Alexander Albon and Nico Hulkenberg rounded off the top 10 for Williams and Haas respectively.
More to follow…
“Another pole is amazing. To have first and second when the field has been so tight is surprising.
“It hurts me to say it but my lap wasn’t great but I am very, very happy.
“I am not expecting an easy race – there are some unknown things with the tyres and degradation – but I am looking forward to it.”
“It was not quite enough, which I feel I have said a lot this year, but it was a really good team effort.
“There was no guarantee of a front-row lock-out so it was an amazing job to pull it off.
“Starting second is not always the worst thing so let’s see what the tyres do. With such a tight field, it will be exciting.”
“It was great. Ending up P3, a little bit better than I expected because it was a really tough session, Q1 and Q2. Fortunately we saved it until the end. Not too far behind the McLarens. 
“They’re so fast at the moment. We’re working so hard to catch them up, but I’m super happy with third.”
On his chances in Sunday’s race: 
“I think it’s going to be a tight battle. Everybody’s so close out there. It’s so exciting for F1. We’ve all been waiting for this competition and knowing if you do a great job, you’ve got a chance of victory. So, I’m pretty pumped for tomorrow.
“I’ll get some pizza tonight to fuel me up and a bit of extra weight, so I’m not too light tomorrow, and hopefully we can fight for a good result.” 
The two Mercedes are the last two across the line but they cannot beat the McLarens. Lando Norris secures pole position, like he did in Zandvoort a week ago. His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri makes it a lockout for McLaren on the front row as he will start second. George Russell is third ahead of the two Ferraris. The world championship leader Max Verstappen will start down in seventh. This could be a huge weekend in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship, with six places between Norris and Verstappen and McLaren in a great position to potentially overtake Red Bull in the constructors’ this weekend.
The moment Lando took pole ✅ pic.twitter.com/MT7WcSDovh
He only goes into seventh. What a horrible session for the Dutchman. Behind Norris has gone fastest in the second sector and Sainz is fastest in the first.
Not an electric first two sectors from Verstappen, who is two tenths down on Norris.
Off he goes, he is eighth currently. Hamilton has only just left the pits and will be last across the line.
The Dutchman was very unhappy with his first run and he is straight out there with three and a half minutes to go. His teammate Perez is behind him and now everyone is beginning to file out.
Those two times by the McLarens were mega. They are one and two at the moment as the Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton slip into third and fourth. Verstappen is all the way down in eighth.
Piastri does a 1:16.436 but Norris just pips him. Sainz had been flying after the first sector but loses a fair amount of time in the next two sectors. Verstappen is down in sixth, behind his teammate Perez.
All the drivers are out on track and here we go for their first attempts in Q3.
The green light is showing at the end of the pitlane and the final part of qualifying in Monza is underway.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is out, who does say over team radio that P11 is better than expected. Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg are through into Q3.
11. Alonso (Aston Martin)
12. Ricciardo (RB)
13. Magnussen (Haas)
14. Gasly (Alpine)
15. Ocon (Alpine)
Verstappen went second fastest, 0.021 behind Hamilton, who was quickest in Q2.
Russell is now out on track as is his teammate Hamilton, who is currently quickest. Norris and Sainz are staying in the pits.
The bottom five are all out there as are a number of the top ten. The top three of Hamilton, Norris and Sainz all are remaining in the pits, as is Russell in sixth for the moment.
11. Alonso (Aston Martin)
12. Magnussen (Haas)
13. Gasly (Alpine)
14. Ocon (Alpine)
15. Ricciardo (RB)
Sainz goes third, sandwiched between the two McLarens. Leclerc is down in seventh, but still should be safe to get through to Q3. Leclerc comes onto the team radio to say he is not happy with how the car is truning.
Perez, who is down in eighth, is four tenths of seventh-placed Leclerc.
His Mercedes teammate is fifth but Hamilton goes quickest, 0.086 faster than Norris. The Ferrari duo have come into the pits to put on a new set of softs having been on used softs earlier in the session.
Verstappen goes faster than the Ferraris but is then pipped by Piastri, who is not at the timesheets for long as Norris sets a 1:19.727, 0.081 seconds faster than his teammate. The Mercedes duo are on their out laps.
Just a few hundredths of a second between the two Ferrari drivers who come across the line first. Behind Verstappen sets the fastest middle sector but only for a matter of moments as Piastri goes quicker. Norris has set the fastest first sector.
The green light is showing at the end of the pitlane and the Ferrari duo are out first. This time Ferrari have swapped their drivers around.
Q2 will still be a few minutes away as the marshals are on the track at the exit of the second Lesmo sweeping up the gravel that is on the track after both Sainz and Colapinto went wide at that corner.
The chequered flag is waving and probably the biggest casualty is Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Franco Colapinto’s first qualifying session in F1 ends in a Q1 exit. Kevin Magnussen, who had a change of gearbox before qualifying, brought out yellow flags in the final sector as he was travelling very slowly around the final corner. Here are the five out in Q1:
16. Tsunoda (RB)
17. Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Colapinto (Williams)
19. Bottas (Sauber)
20. Zhou (Sauber)
Norris was the fastest in Q1 ahead of Leclerc and Piastri, who set the third fastest time at the end of that session.
Will that be enough as this track is only going to get faster? He could in theory get another lap in.
Williams’ Colapinto goes wide at the second Lesmo like Sainz earlier and goes into the gravel but just about keeps it together. It does ruin his lap though.
Meanwhile Piastri is under investigation for an unsafe release in the pitlane.
The nearest of misses between Max and Oscar in the pits 😬 pic.twitter.com/fzaxxGmpFv
The top three of Norris, Leclerc and Sainz do not head out.
The Mexican is heading out earlier than most as he is in the bottom five. He needs a big lap and could hit traffic as most other drivers head out.
16. Colapinto (Williams)
17. Tsunoda (RB)
18. Bottas (Sauber)
19. Perez (Red Bull)
20. Zhou (Sauber)
Colapinto is just two thousandths of a second off Ricciardo in 15th.
The Spaniard heads out on the same tyres and goes third, just in behind his teammate Leclerc and two tenths behind Norris. Just six minutes remaining in Q1.
Russell goes into fourth, four tenths behind Norris. Hamilton goes fifth.
Sainz opted against a second run and came into the pits but is now back out there. Perez, who is now down in 16th, is going to need a big second run.
Verstappen is a couple of tenths behind Leclerc but Norris is on it straight away and goes top of the timesheets. Norris’ teammate Piastri locked up into turn one and immediately aborted his first attempt so will go again on these tyres.
Verstappen’s teammate Perez is struggling and is slower than the two Haas drivers.
The Monegasque driver sets the fastest time as his teammate Sainz goes wide at the second Lesmo, which scuppers his lap. Verstappen starts his first flying lap with Norris and Piastri not far behind. The Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton are still in the garage.
Sainz and Leclerc are amongst some of the first to get out on track. Like Noah’s Ark, most teams are heading out two-by-two due to the benefit of slipstreams at Monza. Everyone on the soft tyres.
We are under way in Q1. Not exactly a stampede to go out immediately.
We are just moments away from qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Who will take pole? There could be as many as seven drivers who will believe they have a shot at pole. This should be a fascinating session.
Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli are teammates at Prema in F2 this season and they will both be on the F1 grid next season. Bearman, who will be driving for Haas next season, has won the F2 sprint race earlier today. Antonelli finished down in 18th.
“[George] Russell is not safe at all because Toto [Wolff] still wants Max [Verstappen], and he will try again for 2026 because ‘give up’ does not appear in Toto’s vocabulary.
“If Max does become available – and I do think it’s a possibility – then it is a shootout between George and Kimi [Antonelli] next year. It’s a lot of pressure on George because he has everything to lose really. It’s not an easy situation.
“He should be the one ahead at the team internally, because Kimi is 18 and he’s completely new and in a full-pressure situation.”
After Kevin’s end of FP3 stop on track, we’ll be replacing his gearbox ahead of Quali.He’s still within his allowance, so no penalty. 🇮🇹#HaasF1 #F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/OkpF4tV04v
Traffic was a major issue in qualifying for Formula 3 yesterday as 14 penalties were handed out for impeding. For those who can remember qualifying for F1 back in 2019 Q3 was chaos as none of the drivers wanted to be first out and give a slipstream to everyone else which resulted in most of the drivers not being able to set a final lap time at the end of the session as they all messed around. Will we see the same shenanigans today?
Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli was revealed as Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 replacement this morning, but Mercedes team principal refused to give exact details of the length of his contract and did not entirely rule out the possibility of Max Verstappen signing in 2026. 
After being noncommittal on the length of Antonelli’s contract, which he called “complicated” in terms of options, Toto Wolff was asked what would happen if the Dutchman came knocking at his door in 2025. 
“There’s no discussion, there’s no second thoughts about what we are doing in 2026. If flirting outside happens, these guys will know it at the same time as me, if it happens,” Wolff said. 
“I made up my mind [on Antonelli] five minutes after Lewis Hamilton told me he was going to Ferrari. Obviously we were discussing with other options and the Max idea, we didn’t discount it completely with what happened at Red Bull. But instinctively, that is the line-up with these two I have always wanted,” he added. 
After crashing in FP1 for Mercedes yesterday, Antonelli was in the wars again in the F2 sprint race earlier this afternoon, picking up a puncture on lap one, eventually finishing well down the field.
Bahrain- Max Verstappen
Saudi Arabia- Max Verstappen
Australia- Carlos Sainz
Japan- Max Verstappen
China- Max Verstappen
Miami- Lando Norris
Emilia-Romagna- Max Verstappen
Monaco- Charles Leclerc
Canada- Max Verstappen
Spain- Max Verstappen
Austria- George Russell
Great Britain- Lewis Hamilton
Hungary- Oscar Piastri
Belgium- Lewis Hamilton
Netherlands- Lando Norris
With Kimi Antonelli being confirmed as George Russell’s teammate at Mercedes next season, there are just two seats remaining on next year’s grid; one at Sauber and one at RB. Here is what the grid looks like for next season:
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes: George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Alpine: Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan
Williams: Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
RB: Yuki Tsunoda and ?
Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg and ?
Haas: Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
There will be at least three new drivers on the grid next season with Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan and Kimi Antonelli becoming full-time drivers next season. Bearman did race for Ferrari at Saudi Arabia earlier this season when Carlos Sainz had his appendix removed. Valtteri Bottas has been heavily rumoured to be in the second Sauber seat alongside Nick Hulkenberg and could Liam Lawson be racing alongside Yuki Tsunoda at RB? Even though Sergio Perez is contracted to Red Bull through next season, but his seat is by no means guaranteed.
It was the worst-kept secret up and down the F1 paddock but now it has been announced that Kimi Antonelli will race for Mercedes next season to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. Here is what Antonelli had to say in the announcement:
“It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025,” said Antonelli.
“Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me. I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team.
“I’m also really excited to become George’s team-mate. He came through the team’s junior programme just like myself and is someone I have a huge amount of respect for.
“He is super-fast, a multiple Grand Prix winner, and has already helped me improve as a driver. I am looking forward to learning from him and working together to deliver on track.”
Formula 1 hits the temple of speed this weekend as Monza hosts the Italian Grand Prix. McLaren’s Lando Norris won the first race after the summer break in title rival Max Verstappen’s backyard at the Dutch Grand Prix to reduce Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ standings to 70 points.
Verstappen topped the timesheets in first practice on Friday before Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton pipped Norris in second practice. Speaking after second practice, Norris believes there are four teams in the fight for pole position today.
“The car was quick,” Norris said. “Oscar [Piastri] was quick. He made a big mistake and lost probably 0.4 or 0.5 seconds so he easily should have been P1. I am quite a long way off, so a bit of work for me to do. It’s close between Ferrari, us – Red Bull I’m sure are after P1, and Mercedes as well. Looks like eight cars all looking fast. Should make it exciting.”
Verstappen is also expecting a tight battle this weekend.
“[We] tried quite a few things today and P2 was initially not that great, but then it seemed like the long run was a little bit more competitive. But [the newly resurfaced track] seems quite aggressive on tyres for the moment; they are opening up. Quite interesting to see how that will evolve for the race. I think it will be quite close between a few cars and hopefully we can be in that mix.”
The Mercedes duo of Hamilton and George Russell were one and two in final practice earlier today as just one and a half tenths of a second separated the top five.
There was plenty of driver news going into and during this weekend. After the Dutch Grand Prix, Williams decided to drop Logan Sargeant, who was set to leave the team anyway at the end of the season. He came out of the summer break under huge pressure anyway and it felt like the final straw was his huge crash in third practice in Zandvoort. Argentinian Franco Colapinto, who was sixth in Formula 2, has replaced Sargeant and had a decent day on Friday.
This morning one of the worst kept secrets in the F1 paddock was revealed as Mercedes announced that young Italian Kimi Antonelli will replace Ferrari-bound Hamilton next season. Before the news was made official, Antonelli was in Russell’s car in first practice but crashed at the final corner. Antonelli will now switch his attention back to his Formula 2 duties for the rest of the weekend and season.
It should be a fascinating tussle for pole so strap yourselves in for a thrilling qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix.