Max Verstappen denied McLaren a front-row lockout by delivering a decisive late lap to put Red Bull on pole position for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Verstappen initially benefitted from a tow by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda on his first Q3 attempt, but when Lando Norris briefly grabbed provisional pole, the Dutchman struck back with an even cleaner lap on his own – edging ahead by just 0.077s.
Norris endured a nervous qualifying session. A lock-up at the first chicane on his opening Q2 run left him at risk of elimination, and a scrappy second attempt compounded the problem. Down in 11th place, the McLaren driver needed a huge final effort on used tyres to scrape through. He ultimately recovered to beat team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri to second place.
Ferrari looked competitive throughout qualifying but lacked the outright pace to mount a serious pole challenge. Charles Leclerc ended up fourth ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who will drop to 10th on the grid following a penalty for his yellow-flag infringement at Zandvoort last weekend. That elevates Mercedes duo George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli into fifth and sixth respectively.
Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto produced another standout performance to secure seventh, just ahead of mentor Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Tsunoda in ninth.
Dutch GP podium finisher Isack Hadjar, meanwhile, endured a reality check with a Q1 elimination. Both he and Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson made costly mistakes on their final runs, leaving them 16th and 20th. Hadjar was also furious at Williams driver Carlos Sainz, accusing him of “playing around” during Q1 traffic.
Provisional Starting Grid – 2025 Italian Grand Prix
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)* – grid penalty
- Ollie Bearman (Haas)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
