Ferrari's shocking upstaging by Verstappen at their home ground
The Italian Grand Prix qualifying session at Monza was a thrilling spectacle under clear skies, with the stands filled to capacity. The qualifying session saw some exciting moments, with several drivers battling it out for the top spots.
In the first session, Lewis Hamilton, who finished fifth, advanced to the next round despite a five-place grid penalty due to a penalty from the previous race at Zandvoort. His teammate, George Russell, ended the session in a promising first place. Lando Norris, however, had a close call during the second session, locking up and skipping the chicane.
Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver, was unbeatable in the top ten shootout, securing his 45th career pole position. Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motorsport advisor, had predicted a win for Verstappen in the Italian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc was initially ahead of Verstappen, but the Dutch driver pushed ahead on his first attempt.
Lando Norris managed to scrape through to the next round despite his error in the second session, finishing a close second, 77 thousandths of a second behind Verstappen. Oscar Piastri, who finished third, holds a comfortable 34-point lead over Norris in the standings.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while Nico Hülkenberg in the Sauber was eliminated in the second session. Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls, who was the surprise third-place finisher from Zandvoort, did not progress to the second round.
Verstappen impressed in the so-called long runs during Friday's practice, setting himself up for a strong race performance. The Ferrari cars were painted in a new, old livery to honour Niki Lauda's first world title, won at Monza in 1975.
Nico Hülkenberg, who replaced Sebastian Vettel in the German Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team in 2022, did not make it far in the qualifying session. Lewis Hamilton trails Verstappen by a significant 104 points in the standings, setting up an interesting race on Sunday.
Lando Norris admitted that Verstappen was "incredible" in qualifying, acknowledging the challenge ahead for him in the race. The Italian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race, with Verstappen starting from pole position and Hamilton aiming to make up ground from his grid penalty.
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