Norris leads McLaren front row lockout at Monza

Lando Norris lead Oscar Piastri in a McLaren front-row lockout after a super tight qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix that saw the top six cars split by just 0.186s. Red Bull wasn’t part of that leading pack, however, with championship leader Max Verstappen way off the pace in seventh as the team’s midseason struggles continue. In a boon to his slim but growing championship hopes, Norris set two laps fast enough for pole position, with McLaren a clear step ahead of the rest despite the relatively small margins. Piastri threatened him for top spot, having been just 0.035s behind after the first runs of Q3, but the challenge never materialized, with the Australian failing to improve with his second attempt despite benefitting from a slipstream. It allowed Norris to extend his advantage to 0.109s in the final reckoning, putting him at the front of McLaren’s second front-row lockout in the last four grands prix and earning him the first back-to-back poles of his career. “Amazing,” he said. “To have first and second when the field has been as tight as it has been all weekend is a little bit of a surprise, but a nice one. “Well done to the team, they did an amazing job. I’m very, very happy.” Piastri was disappointed to botch his final qualifying lap, delivering him his eighth straight qualifying defeat to Norris. “The first lap in Q3 was quite good, just the second wasn’t quite enough, which I feel like I’ve said a few too many times this year,” he said. “Still, a good performance and a really good team effort. “It’s obviously a long run down to Turn 1, so starting second here isn’t always the worst thing.” George Russell was a late improver for Mercedes to take third, lapping what he described as a pleasantly surprising 0.113s off pole. “It was great,” he said. “A little bit better than I expected, because it was a really tough session. “In the end not too far behind the McLarens. They’re so fast at the moment. We’re working so hard to catch them up. I’m super happy with third.” Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were closely matched in fourth and fifth, keeping them in the frame for victory on Sunday, while Lewis Hamilton completed the tight top six. Verstappen slumped to his worst qualifying result of the year, being forced to accept seventh with a car that struggled to master the few corners around Monza’s high-speed layout. The Dutchman was a whopping 0.695s off the pace, closer to the midfield than the pole contenders, and beat teammate Sergio Perez by just 0.04s. Alex Albon put his upgraded Williams through its paces to qualify ninth on the grid for his second consecutive Q3 appearance, while an excellent Nico Hulkenberg qualified 10th for Haas. Fernando Alonso qualified 11th, missing out on the top 10 by 0.01s Daniel Ricciardo was RB’s best qualified, putting his car 12th for the Faenza team’s home grand prix. Kevin Magnussen’s scrappy qualifying sessions, including a wide moment through the gravel at Parabolica in Q1, culminated in a an underwhelming 13th, well behind high-flying teammate Hulkenberg. Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will line up 14th and 15th. Yuki Tsunoda was knocked out 16th after being pipped for a spot in Q2 by teammate Ricciardo by just 0.044s, leaving RB with a question mark over the effectiveness of the upgrade package being run by only the Japanese driver this weekend. Lance Stroll executed his equal worst qualifying performance of the season in 17th, matching his same result from the Austrian Grand Prix. Debutant Franco Colapinto had been a Q2 chance until he exited the second Lesmo wide and skidded along the stones. He saved his car but not his session, leaving him 18th. Sauber teammates Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will lock out the back row of the grid, the Finn 0.344s ahead of the Chinese driver.