- Norris secures title contest showdown at Monza by clinching pole position.
Formula 1 title challenger Lando Norris keeps amping up the championship competition with his second consecutive pole position victory. The Brit in the McLaren zoomed to the front spot during qualifying at the rapid Monza track, leaving championship holder Max Verstappen with a concerningly substantial gap.
The Dutchman, who hasn't clinched a race in five attempts, barely managed an unsatisfactory seventh position on Saturday. Norris outpaced Verstappen in the Red Bull by nearly seven-tenths of a second. "We're stumped," commented Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko. "Something isn't adding up here," he said, expressing that the situation was growing serious.
Verstappen, who boasted a 70-point advantage over Norris heading into Sunday's race (3:00 PM on Sky and RTL), risks losing more ground to the British driver, who has now amassed five pole positions. Norris was thrilled following his second pole position securement, while Oscar Piastri's performance in the other McLaren sealed a perfect first row for the team.
At least one Ferrari managed a spot on the second row, cheering on the home crowd. Charles Leclerc finished fourth, but had to let British Mercedes driver George Russell pass. Behind the second Ferrari, driven by Carlos Sainz, and the second Mercedes, driven by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, was a disgruntled Verstappen. Nico Hülkenberg in the Haas finished tenth.
The chase for the fastest laps commenced instantly, to the delight of the packed stands. However, they had a close call when Sainz almost spun out following a gravel contact. On his second attempt, Sainz improved, but Norris was already setting the pace, ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen slipped to sixth, and things didn't improve for him. He narrowly avoided collisions with Piastri and Sainz, both of whom had premature pit releases. The race stewards delved into both incidents.
Quálifying de Franco Colapinto acabou prematuramente. O argentino, que substituiu o sofrimento de Logan Sargeant nos EUA na Williams, conseguiu apenas o 18º lugar.
A segunda eliminatória de quálifying começou com um atraso devido à necessidade de limpeza da pista em vários lugares. Em seguida, mudou de líder com frequência. Por fim, Hamilton foi o mais rápido, tendo também estabelecido o tempo mais rápido durante a última sessão de treino livre.
A Ferrari conseguiu pole position em ambas as últimas temporadas, com Sainz em 2021 e Leclerc em 2022. Antes disso, foi Verstappen (2021) e Hamilton (2020). Nesta vez, contudo, os dois McLarens dominaram. Na primeira corrida, Piastri conduziu à frente de Norris, Russell e Hamilton. Verstappen lutou com a aderência, descrevendo-a como "horrorífica," e foi inicialmente o oitavo. No entanto, Norris estava em uma classe separada nos últimos rolos.
Norris' impressive performance on Sunday continued, as he maintained his lead in qualifying sessions. Despite Verstappen having a 70-point advantage heading into the race, a subpar qualifying performance left him with a substantial deficit.
