Lando Norris was able to lead a McLaren front row lockout, securing the pole position for Sunday’s (Sept. 1) Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at the legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
Only once in the last 15 Italian Grands Prix has the pole sitter failed to win the race, something Oscar Piastri will be hoping to change from second place. George Russell qualified third.
Norris’ fortune came as points leader Max Verstappen struggled and qualified just seventh on the grid. Verstappen currently has a 70 point lead on Norris; if they finish where they start, that lead turns into 53 points as F1 enters the fall months.
“Honestly, my lap was, it hurts me to say, was not a great lap,” Norris said in the podium interviews. “My [first attempt in Q3] was, run two was a little bit more. Good enough for pole, a little surprise at the end, and very happy.”
Q3
Q2
There were no major incidents in this session.
Q1
Both Kevin Magnussen and Franco Colapinto had issues and ran off the track in the closing minute of qualifying.
Both were able to recover and make it back to pit road, but the resulting yellow flag ruined a lot of lap times at the end of the session. Colapinto ended up 18th in qualifying for his very first start in F1, while Magnussen advanced and qualified 13th.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | +0.044s |
| 17. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | +0.112s |
| 18. | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | +0.160s |
| 19. | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber Ferrari | +0.200s |
| 20. | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber Ferrari | +0.544s |
One of the oldest and longest-run races on the F1 calendar, the Italian Grand Prix is a classic. The tifosi will be rocking at Monza when the lights go out at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, September 1. Coverage will be provided on ESPN.
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