Lando Norris secured pole position for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, giving himself a shot at closing the gap on championship leader Max Verstappen. Norris, who is currently 70 points behind Verstappen in the standings, posted a time of 1:19.327, with teammate Oscar Piastri behind him in second place. The McLaren duo’s strong performance is crucial for the team as they battle Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
Verstappen, on the other hand, struggled during qualifying and could only manage a seventh-place finish, nearly seven-tenths of a second behind Norris. The Dutch driver has not won any of the last five races and is facing increasing pressure as the championship enters its final stages. Despite Verstappen’s recent form, Norris expects him to bounce back and challenge the McLaren cars in the race.
Mercedes’ George Russell will start from the second row alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton just ahead of Verstappen in fifth place. Hamilton, who was fastest in practice, will be looking to put on a strong performance in his last race at Monza as a Mercedes driver before joining Ferrari next year. The British driver will be keen to show his potential before making the switch to the iconic Italian team.
Mercedes made headlines on Saturday with the announcement that teenage rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli will replace Hamilton for the 2026 season. The 18-year-old Italian has had an eventful weekend, crashing and damaging Russell’s car in practice before narrowly avoiding a crash in his Formula Two race. Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff did not rule out the possibility of pursuing Verstappen in the future, keeping the speculation alive for the upcoming seasons.
Franco Colapinto, another rookie, will have a challenging debut at the Italian Grand Prix after replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams. The Argentine driver, the first from his country to compete in F1 in over two decades, will start from 18th place after being eliminated in Q1. Colapinto faces a tough task ahead as he looks to make an impression in his maiden Formula One race.
