Verstappen shocks McLarens at Monza to take pole with fastest-ever F1 lap

In Monza yesterday, he reignited the possibility of victory with a qualifying lap he aptly described as “unbelievable”.

It had echoes of the unlikely pole position in Suzuka, in a car which appeared to lack a little pace through much of the three preceding practice sessions.

His time of 1min 18.792sec was a lap record for Monza, and the fastest lap in Formula One history, beating Lewis Hamilton’s at Monza in 2020 for Mercedes by 0.095sec – at an average speed of 164.484mph. It eclipsed the lap set by Lando Norris just moments before, the difference between them just 0.077sec. It is the second successive weekend in which the Briton has broken the lap record in Q3 only then to be denied pole.

Red Bull have tinkered with Verstappen’s car all weekend, making some final adjustments just before qualifying to good effect. And his three qualifying sessions proved nigh-on perfect, going at least three tenths of a second quicker in each.

He intimated there had been a fraught build-up to qualifying, at least for the team’s technical director Pierre Waché, when he said over the race radio: “Relax Pierre, it’s all good.”

Verstappen said: “To be on pole here is fantastic. The car has been working a lot better all weekend. To be able to fight for pole… we made some final changes which allowed me to push a bit more.”

While Verstappen raised eyebrows with his latest pole, Norris insisted it had come to be expected. “Max has been quick all weekend,” he said. “It’s never a surprise with Max. I feel like I didn’t do the best of jobs. But P2 still isn’t a bad position to be off the line. To get past Max, I’m sure is going to be a big challenge.”

McLaren had gone into the weekend with the anticipation of continuing their current dominance but practice suggested the two Ferraris, Verstappen and even Mercedes might push them close in qualifying.

As it transpired, only Verstappen could when it mattered, with Oscar Piastri a spot behind his McLaren team-mate, a much-needed boost for Norris to win that head to head as he stares down a 34-point deficit in the drivers’ championship standings.

And yet it is a second successive weekend in which Norris has been dominant in practice but unable to translate that into a pole position.

That said, it could have been worse for the nine-time grand prix winner, who was called back into the pits midway through Q2 with an issue and needed a tow from his team-mate down the straight to help him sneak into the final shootout in fifth.

McLaren have habitually had the superior race pace come race day and have generally been kinder on their tyres, but the lower degradation nature of this circuit suggests Verstappen could yet hold the chasing pair at bay.

Expectation is huge from the tifosi towards Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Hamilton. The latter began the session on the back foot knowing he had a five-place penalty coming when he finished. As a result, Hamilton will start today’s race relegated to 10th, with his team-mate in fourth.

Elsewhere on the grid, Isack Hadjar went from hero to zero for Racing Bulls. A week after a first-ever podium, the 20-year-old Frenchman bowed out in the first qualifying session along with his New Zealand team-mate Liam Lawson.

Hadjar’s possible rival for the Red Bull seat alongside Verstappen next season, 25-year-old Yuki Tsunoda, made it into Q3 and provided a tow for team-mate Verstappen in his quest for pole. Tsunoda starts today’s race in ninth, bumped up one place by Hamilton’s demotion.

Photograph by Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images