Max Verstappen stormed to pole position for the Italian Grand Prix with a record-breaking lap, edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in a fiercely contested qualifying session at Monza.
The Red Bull driver set a blistering 1:18.792, the fastest lap in Formula 1 history, averaging more than 164mph. It marked a dramatic turnaround after last year’s struggles at the same circuit, where Verstappen had called his car “undriveable.”
Ferrari, racing at home, showed renewed pace, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and fifth. Hamilton, competing in his first Monza weekend as a Ferrari driver, described the support from the Tifosi as “incredible,” though he will start 10th due to a grid penalty.
For Red Bull, Verstappen’s fifth pole of the year was a much-needed boost following a turbulent season that saw team principal Christian Horner replaced by Laurent Mekies.
Norris, chasing his teammate Piastri in the championship, narrowly avoided disaster in Q2 after an aborted lap, but recovered to secure second on the grid. The battle between the McLaren pair and Verstappen promises high drama in Sunday’s race.
