Contender Verstappen seizes victory at Ferrari's hometown race
Formula 1 Qualifying at Monza: Max Verstappen Secures Pole Position
The historic Monza circuit in Italy played host to an action-packed qualifying session, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen securing his fifth pole position of the season.
The Dutch driver put on a stunning display during the second attempts in the battle of the fastest ten, setting a new record time of 1:19.116. This remarkable performance saw him finish ahead of Lando Norris, who narrowly missed out on pole by just 0.077 seconds.
Norris, currently driving for McLaren alongside Oscar Piastri, praised Verstappen's performance, calling it "brilliant." Piastri himself finished in third place, 34 points ahead of Norris in the standings.
Charles Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, qualified in fourth place. The Monegasque driver caused excitement during the battle of the fastest ten, but was eventually passed by Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton, who took a five-place grid penalty, managed to qualify in fifth place despite this setback.
The Ferrari cars were painted in a new, old design, in honour of Niki Lauda's first world title at Monza in 1975. Hamilton and Leclerc drove the Ferrari in red and white like Lauda's 312T during practice sessions, giving the tifosi hope.
Elsewhere, George Russell finished the first segment of qualifying in first place in the Mercedes, while Norris and Piastri followed closely behind. Nico Hülkenberg in the Sauber was eliminated, while his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto advanced.
The stands were full and the sky was blue during qualifying, creating a vibrant atmosphere for the Italian Grand Prix. The race is set to take place on Sunday, with Verstappen starting from pole position and Hamilton aiming to make up ground from his fifth place grid spot.
