Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Italian Grand Prix in one of the most exciting qualifying sessions of the season. Oscar Piastri will line up second on the grid, while Max Verstappen’s struggles continued. The Dutchman will start in P7 on Sunday.
Norris and Piastri both showed impressive pace during Q1 with Ferrari delivering on their promise from practice, but most of the attention was on Sergio Perez as he scrapped to avoid an embarrassing exit at Monza.
The Mexican managed to pull himself clear on his final run, but there was no such luck for debutant Franco Colapinto, who avoided a huge crash with a big save on his last attempt. He was joined in the bottom five by Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll and the two Sauber drivers.
Q2 was also a mixed bag. When the chequered flag dropped, four teams were situated in the top four positions, setting up a mighty fight for pole position at Monza. With all of the top eight drivers harbouring hopes of pole position, it was Lewis Hamilton who topped the timing screens.
At the other end, Fernando Alonso was the driver just above the cut line, although the two-time world champion was pleasantly surprised by his starting position. Daniel Ricciardo finished in P12, while Kevin Magnussen and the two Alpine drivers were also eliminated.
It was Noah’s Ark when the laps ticked over in Q3 with the McLarens leading Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. Verstappen’s time was only good enough for P8. On the final runs, few improved with Norris storming to pole ahead of his McLaren team-mate.
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