Verstappen edges Norris by 0.077s to claim record pole at Monza

On a crisp Saturday evening in Monza, Max Emelianovich Verstappen didn’t just win pole — he rewrote history. With a blistering lap of 1 minute 18.792 seconds on September 6, 2025, the Dutch driver claimed his 45th career Formula 1 pole position at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, shattering the circuit’s all-time record and stealing the top spot from Lando Norris by a mere 0.077 seconds. The margin was so narrow, you could hear the tension in the Red Bull garage — and the silence that followed in the McLaren pit. Behind them, Oscar Piastri held third, 0.190 seconds back, while Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari rounded out the top four. The twist? Lewis Hamilton, who crossed the line fifth, was handed a five-place grid penalty, pushing his teammate George Russell up to fifth. It was a qualifying session that felt like a thriller written in tire smoke and engine screams.

The Temple of Speed Comes Alive

Monza isn’t just a racetrack — it’s a cathedral of speed. Located just 15 kilometers north of Milan, this 5.793-kilometer circuit has hosted the Italian Grand Prix since 1950, demanding raw engine power over downforce. With ambient temperatures at 24°C and track heat hitting 38°C, teams ran their lowest-downforce setups ever. The result? Lap times plummeted across the board. Verstappen’s 1:18.792 wasn’t just fast — it was 0.4 seconds quicker than last year’s pole at the same venue. And it came after Norris had briefly taken the top spot in Q3, a moment that sent the McLaren team into a frenzy. But then Verstappen, cool as ever, stepped on the throttle one final time. The ghost car comparison released by Formula 1 later showed Norris had the edge in Sector 1, but Verstappen’s exit from the Parabolica and acceleration out of the Lesmo curves were flawless. That’s where the race was won — not on straights, but on the delicate art of throttle application under extreme load.

Penalties, Pitfalls, and the Mercedes Misstep

The drama didn’t stop at the front. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, but his penalty — for an unapproved gearbox change — was the talk of the paddock. More surprising was what happened to his teammate, George Russell. Russell had requested medium tires for his final run, expecting cooler track conditions. Instead, the team mistakenly fitted softs. He still managed a time good enough for sixth, but the error cost him a shot at the top five. "It’s not the first time we’ve messed up a tire call," admitted Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff in a post-session interview. "But when you’re fighting for every tenth, it’s the kind of mistake that haunts you." Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso, returning to form after a rough summer, qualified ninth — his best result since Spain — while rookie Kimi Antonelli stunned the field by making Q3 in his second-ever F1 weekend.

Red Bull’s Quiet Comeback

McLaren entered the weekend with a 617-point lead in the Constructors’ Championship — 337 points ahead of Ferrari and 357 ahead of Red Bull. Their dominance had been absolute: 11 poles to Red Bull’s seven this season. But Monza exposed cracks. While Norris and Piastri were fast, their race pace wasn’t as dominant as expected. Verstappen’s pole was a signal — not just of speed, but of strategy. "They’ve been playing a long game," said former F1 engineer and current analyst David Coulthard. "Red Bull knew Monza would be their best shot. They’ve been conserving engines, saving tires, and waiting for the track to suit their car’s strengths. This wasn’t luck. It was calculated." And the data backed it up: Verstappen’s car was 0.3 seconds faster in the final sector than Norris’s, the exact area where Red Bull’s aerodynamic efficiency shines.

The Race That Followed

The pole didn’t just mean bragging rights — it meant victory. On Sunday, Verstappen led from the start, retaking the lead from Norris on Lap 4 after a brief overtake attempt through Curva Grande. The two traded fastest laps for the next 20 laps, but Verstappen’s tire management — a quiet masterpiece — allowed him to pull away in the final third. Norris finished second, Piastri third. It was Verstappen’s third win of the 2025 season, but more importantly, it cut McLaren’s championship lead by 18 points. With the Drivers’ Championship now led by Piastri (324 points), followed by Norris (293), and Verstappen (230), the title fight is alive — and hotter than ever.

What’s Next? Singapore Beckons

The next race, the Singapore Grand PrixMarina Bay Street Circuit, is a world away from Monza’s high-speed purity. The tight, humid, night-time street circuit favors mechanical grip and braking stability — areas where McLaren still holds an edge. But if Verstappen can carry the momentum from Monza, the title race could shift dramatically. Red Bull’s engineers are already testing new front-wing configurations for Singapore, while McLaren is quietly reviewing their tire strategy after two consecutive weekends where their soft compounds degraded faster than expected.

Behind the Numbers

- Verstappen’s 45th pole breaks the previous record held by Lewis Hamilton (44).
- The 0.077-second gap between Verstappen and Norris is the closest pole margin at Monza since 2018.
- McLaren has 11 poles this season; Red Bull has 8.
- Ferrari’s 280 points in the Constructors’ Championship are their highest since 2019.
- The 2025 Italian GP was Round 14 of 24 in the championship.