For the first time since Silverstone, Max Verstappen will start from pole position. After a solid showing in free practice and a sensational first run in Q3, the reigning world champion briefly looked to have lost pole to a resurgent Lando Norris; however, a sensational final run saw him regain the top spot by just 0.077s, with an average speed of 264.68 km/h, making this the fastest lap in Formula 1 history. Verstappen praised his team’s efforts and stated that there has been a marked improvement in the RB21. Though wary of the McLaren’s race pace, the Dutchman has promised to “give it everything” on Sunday.
Lando Norris will line up second after a nervous qualifying session for both him and McLaren. A mistake at the first chicane in Q2 forced Norris into the pits with no time on the board. A late run saw him secure P5 with a time seven thousandths of a second off his teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris was quick to put those troubles behind him in Q3 and briefly went quickest after his final run, only for Verstappen to deny him at the last. Undoubtedly disappointed to have missed out on pole, Norris has nevertheless beaten his main rival: Oscar Piastri.
In contrast to his teammate, the championship leader had a relatively straightforward qualifying but never looked to be in with a shout of pole position. His best time was just over a tenth off Norris, who will be eager to hold on, given Piastri’s 34-point championship lead.
Behind them, Ferrari were unable to give the Tifosi the result they craved. Charles Leclerc did well to briefly grab provisional pole after his initial run in Q3, but was unable to improve on his final lap and had to settle for P4. His teammate Lewis Hamilton also failed to improve and ended up fifth. However, the seven-time world champion will start the race 10th due to a five-place grid penalty he received for failing to slow during his reconnaissance lap at last week’s Dutch Grand Prix.
As a result, George Russell’s sixth place in qualifying will become fifth on race day. At one point, the Russell looked to be a viable candidate for pole position. The two Mercedes were the only cars to run the medium tyre in Q1, and while Kimi Antonelli switched to the softs, Russell stayed on the yellow-walled tyre and duly topped the session. He later voiced his bewilderment at being given a set of softs for Q3, such was his confidence on the mediums. He eventually qualified one place ahead of Antonelli, who recovered from his spin in FP2 to secure his first Q3 appearance since Silverstone.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s impressive one-lap pace is showing no signs of easing up, as he went eighth fastest, four places ahead of his teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Fernando Alonso qualified ninth, one place ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, who made it into Q3 for only the second time in ten races. Despite a battery issue in Q3.
Ollie Bearman will start 11th, an impressive result given Haas’s lacklustre showing in free practice, while Williams’ early pace did not carry through to qualifying. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon only managed 13th and 14th, respectively.
Esteban Ocon will line up 15th, one place behind Isack Hadjar, who, in contrast to his heroics at Zandvoort last week, found himself out of Q1 for the first time in his career. Lance Stroll found himself in the bottom five for the 11th time this season in 17th, while Franco Colapinto outqualified his teammate Pierre Gasly for only the third time this year. Liam Lawson will start from the back of the grid, having run wide in Q1 and had his lap time deleted.
Verstappen may have taken the spoils on Saturday but given the McLaren’s searing race pace and the ongoing championship battle, we look set for an absorbing Italian Grand Prix.
