Max Verstappen snatched pole position from Lando Norris in a thrilling Italian Grand Prix qualifying session, with championship leader Oscar Piastri lining up third.
Norris, who only narrowly avoided a shock Q2 exit, had taken provisional pole late in Q3, but Verstappen produced a superb last-gasp effort to beat the McLaren driver by 0.077s.
The Dutchman set a new lap record at Monza and posted the fastest lap by average speed in Formula 1 history.
Piastri will start directly behind his team-mate as he looks to defend his 34-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship with nine rounds remaining.
“Classic Verstappen,” said Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle. “Pulls a lap out of the bag, finds some speed and confidence, and commits. He has absolutely stolen that pole position away from the McLarens.”
Ferrari’s hopes of home glory faded as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to improve on their final Q3 runs, finishing fourth and fifth. Hamilton, however, will start 10th due to a five-place grid penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags at the Dutch GP.
George Russell ended up sixth, with 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli bouncing back to take seventh. Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in eighth, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) in ninth and Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) in 10th.
Williams endured a tough session as Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both fell in Q2, finishing 13th and 14th. Isack Hadjar, fresh from his maiden F1 podium, suffered his first-ever Q1 elimination and will start from the pit lane following a power unit change.
Verstappen’s ‘magic’ lap
Despite not featuring in the top three during practice, Verstappen delivered when it mattered most, he secured a slipstream on both Q3 laps, committed under braking, and wrung every ounce of performance from his Red Bull.
Norris briefly claimed pole with a blistering 1:18.869, aided by a tow from Piastri, but Verstappen’s response — a 1:18.792 at an average speed of 164.466mph — snatched it back instantly.
“Q3 felt good, happy with the laps and to be on pole here is fantastic,” said Verstappen. “We made some final changes that allowed me to push more, which is exactly what you need in qualifying. Historically the races have been more complicated for us this season, but we’ll give everything tomorrow.”
Norris, fortunate to escape Q2 after an early error, will hope McLaren’s superior race pace can help him hit back on Sunday. Piastri, meanwhile, has the chance to control his championship lead directly against his team-mate.
Leclerc and Hamilton admitted there was little more to find after their first Q3 runs, while Russell — who had topped Q1 on medium tyres — felt his strategy gamble ultimately made little difference.
With Verstappen upsetting the McLarens again, Sunday’s race promises a fascinating tactical battle at Monza.