Lando Norris displayed remarkable resilience during a mistake-riddled qualifying session to clinch second place and start ahead of his championship rival Oscar Piastri at the Italian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen dominated by securing his 45th career pole position, setting the fastest lap ever recorded in Formula One history at Monza, averaging a breathtaking 164.465 mph through the track’s 11 corners.
Norris briefly led the timing charts before Verstappen, in his Red Bull, reclaimed the top spot. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda struggled to secure only 10th place. Despite a scrappy qualifying session at the sun-baked Monza circuit—nicknamed the “Temple of Speed”—Norris was thrilled to share the front row with Verstappen.
“It was a pretty bad qualifying for me,” Norris admitted. “But my final lap was six-tenths faster than any other in qualifying, which was quite impressive considering how poorly I performed before that.”
READ MORE: Somerset Funeral Notices: Heartfelt Tributes to 35 Cherished Locals
READ MORE: Stunning Five-Bedroom Georgian Townhouse Renovated in Prestigious Bath Location
Norris’s path to Q3 was far from straightforward. He was quickest in two out of three practice sessions but faced difficulties in Q2 when a lock-up forced him to abort his first flying lap. After returning to the garage to swap tires, his next run placed him 11th, just outside the top 10 cut-off to proceed directly into Q3. However, a final attempt propelled him to fifth, securing his place among the top contenders.
In Q3, Norris initially found himself down in seventh, trailing Verstappen by half a second and Piastri by nearly four-tenths. But his spectacular last lap vaulted him into second place, just 0.077 seconds shy of Verstappen’s record-breaking time, giving him renewed hope to challenge Piastri’s championship lead by 34 points.
“I was pushing every curb possible,” said Norris. “Locking up at Turn 1 knocked my confidence, and I struggled to find a rhythm. The last lap was the only one where everything clicked, so I’m very pleased.”
Norris’s mental toughness has been questioned during critical moments of the season, but his clutch final effort this weekend should silence those doubts. The performance also comes six days after a frustrating engine failure in Zandvoort.
In other qualifying news, Charles Leclerc took fourth place for Ferrari, followed by teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, Hamilton starts 10th due to a grid penalty for not respecting double waved yellow flags during the previous race. Despite this setback, Hamilton remains optimistic about his race strategy and potential for overtaking.
“It’s going to be tough to move up given the penalty and close competition, but with good top-speed and a strong opening lap, I hope to make progress,” Hamilton said. Speaking about his debut Italian Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver, Hamilton expressed his amazement: “The support from the Tifosi is incredible—their passion surrounds the track everywhere. It’s truly something special.”