Max Verstappen claimed his 5^th pole of the season and 1^st in Monza. In the process, the reigning world champion set the fastest lap record for the Autodromo Nazionale Monza track. The lap was quite scintillating and is the fastest lap in F1 history. The lap couldn’t be matched by the McLarens or the Ferraris in front of the tifosi. Both teams will be in the hunt to win the race tomorrow, with the last 5 races won by drivers not starting on pole. However, it is under such conditions that Verstappen is at his best.

The qualifying session wasn’t the most entertaining as some of the other quali sessions this year, but it was one of the closest after the Hungarian GP Qualifying. The teams will gear out for an interesting race tomorrow, but before that let’s look into what went down in the 2025 Italian GP Qualifying.

Stroll again out in another Q1 session

The first part of qualifying wasn’t eventful and saw 2 teams eliminated alongside Lance Stroll. Stroll, who is the driver with the most Q1 exits, added another one in his tally in the 2025 Italian GP Qualifying. In a weekend where the Aston Martin looked to have good pace, Stroll couldn’t get out of the first part of qualifying and continued his miserable showing this season.

Isack Hadjar suffered his first Q1 exit in the F1 season after an emphatic podium last weekend in the Dutch GP. He will start from the pits in the race tomorrow after the team opted to take new engine parts. The rookies teammate, Liam Lawson, also couldn’t get out of the first part of qualifying. The kiwi had a major slide that compromised him, and he couldn’t complete his final lap.

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The Alpines were the other duo who were knocked out in the first part of qualifying in Monza. Pierre Gasly, who signed a contract extension, would’ve loved to mark it with a good performance, but couldn’t deliver the goods. To top his misery, he was outqualified by his teammate, and the French driver will start on the last row.

A tense moment for Norris in Q2

Lando Norris had a nervy movement in Q2 after scuffing his first run in the session. Taking the gamble and trusting the driver, McLaren asked Norris to do two laps on the same softs. The tow from his teammate in his second run was the boost that helped him to get out of the session. However, will Piastri rue helping his teammate later in his title fight?

The second part of the 2025 Italian GP Qualifying saw another 2 teams eliminated. Nico Hulkenberg was the odd one out as he was once again outqualified by his teammate. Haas, the Ferrari customer team, also couldn’t get out of the session. Apart from this, neither Williams could make it to the final part of qualifying.

Verstappen on Pole Again in F1

Max Verstappen claimed his maiden pole in Monza and he will start tomorrow’s race on pole. This pole position took a long time to come if you go by the success that the Dutch driver has had in his F1 career so far. However, throughout this season, he has pulled out some stunning laps in qualifying, showing everyone why he is undoubtedly the best driver on the grid. The lap is Monza was something close to perfection, marking the fastest delta times of laps set in F1 history.

Lando Norris will line up next to Verstappen in the front row after an interesting qualifying session for the Englishman. The leader in the drivers’ championship, Piastri, will start right behind him in the race tomorrow. The Ferraris qualified 4^th and 5^th, but Hamilton’s 5 place grid penalty means that he’ll start the race in 10^th tomorrow. What looked like a promising weekend for the team didn’t transpire into a pole for the prancing race.

Tentative Starting Grid for 2025 Italian GP

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)  
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. George Russell (Mercedes)
6. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
7. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
9. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
10. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
11. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
13. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
14. Alex Albon (Williams)
15. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
17. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
19. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)

Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls): Pit lane start