Max Verstappen delivered a scorching lap to seize pole position for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza, setting a new circuit record in the process. The Red Bull driver stopped the clock at 1m18.792s, edging Lando Norris by just 0.077s.
The Dutchman’s pole is only his second at the Temple of Speed, though he has already won twice here. It also marks his fifth pole of the 2025 season, adding to successes in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Miami and Silverstone.
Another record for Max 🤩
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 6, 2025
Verstappen takes his 45th pole for Red Bull overtaking Sebastian Vettel's tally#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/UuC0gmheXK
The Tyres and Format
Pirelli supplied the C3, C4 and C5 compounds this weekend – a step softer than Zandvoort – with the hot Italian weather ensuring that softs dominated proceedings. As usual, qualifying ran across three segments: Q1 with 20 cars, Q2 with 15, and Q3 with the fastest ten fighting for pole.
Q1 – Margins Measured in Tenths
Lewis Hamilton led the Ferrari charge out of the garage early on, though Mercedes initially gambled on mediums to save their softs. Nico Hülkenberg briefly topped the timesheets before Charles Leclerc and Hamilton vaulted ahead with the benefit of slipstream.
McLaren soon made their presence felt, Norris and Oscar Piastri both dipping into the 1m19.6s bracket. Track limits struck Carlos Sainz, costing him his first effort, while Albon also struggled.
In a frantic final flurry, the entire field was covered by less than nine tenths. Both Racing Bulls were knocked out, with rookie Isack Hadjar narrowly missing Q2 by 0.080s. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly also fell. Eliminated: Hadjar, Stroll, Colapinto, Gasly, Lawson.
⏪ Rewind to Q1… Frustration for Isack 📻#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/QJcQhinKuz
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 6, 2025
Q2 – McLaren Drama and Williams Collapse
The second session saw Verstappen immediately lay down a benchmark on fresh softs, ahead of Russell and Leclerc. Sainz briefly topped the table for Williams, but his lap quickly faded as others improved.
Drama struck Norris, who lost his first time after cutting a corner and found himself on the brink. Running alone without a slipstream, he just scraped into the top ten with a late lap, knocking Haas rookie Ollie Bearman out.
Both Williams cars, tipped to challenge for the second and third rows, suffered a surprise double elimination. Poor tyre calls left Sainz only 13th and Albon 14th. Also out were Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon. Eliminated: Bearman, Hülkenberg, Sainz, Albon, Ocon.
Q3 – Verstappen’s Record Lap
The final shoot-out featured both Red Bulls, both McLarens, both Ferraris, the Mercedes duo, Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto. Slipstream tactics loomed large, with Norris finding himself punching air on his first run.
Leclerc briefly delighted the Tifosi by taking provisional pole, before Verstappen snatched it back with a stunning 1m18.923s. The McLarens remained in the hunt, with Piastri close behind his team-mate.
In the final laps, Norris surged to the top, only for Verstappen to immediately respond with a record-breaking 1m18.792s. Piastri slotted into third, leaving Leclerc fourth. Hamilton was fifth on the road but drops to 10th after a five-place penalty for a yellow-flag infringement at the previous round.
The Grid
Behind Verstappen, Norris and Piastri lock out the second and third slots, with Leclerc sharing row two alongside them. George Russell lines up fifth ahead of Mercedes protégé Kimi Antonelli, while Bortoleto, Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda round out the top ten.
For Ferrari, the outcome was bittersweet – strong pace but not enough to match Verstappen’s relentless speed. The McLarens, once again, look like his closest challengers.
Final Word
As Verstappen put it over team radio: «Yes guys, yes. That is unbelievable. Relax here, it is all good!»
The stage is set for a thrilling Italian Grand Prix, with McLaren poised to apply pressure and Ferrari banking on home-crowd magic. The question remains – can anyone stop Verstappen tomorrow at the Temple of Speed?
