Lando Norris of McLaren secured pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, marking his fifth pole position in Formula One. His teammate Oscar Piastri will start from second position, resulting in a front row lockout for McLaren.
Norris believes he has a chance to catch up to Max Verstappen in the championship at the Italian Grand Prix, as Verstappen struggled in qualifying, finishing seventh.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and fifth, while Lewis Hamilton took sixth after mistakes in qualifying. Sergio Checo Pérez of Red Bull will start from the eighth position, facing challenges in matching the speed of their competitors.
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Third-placed Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren attends the F1 Grand Prix of Italy
(Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Rookie Franco Colapinto, in for Logan Sargeant at Williams, finished 18th, while Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were at the back of the grid.
The 16th Grand Prix of the F1 season at Autodromo National Monza will be crucial for the championship.
Toto Wolff remains open to bringing Verstappen to Mercedes, even as Kimi Antonelli is signed to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025. Wolff acknowledged that flirting with other options, primarily Verstappen, could happen despite the current lineup plans.
McLaren is currently second in the Constructors' Championship, trailing Red Bull by just 30 points, and the team continues to show as the fastest car in Formula 1.
McLaren aims to capitalize on Verstappen's struggles to make significant gains in the championship.
Norris relies on other teams and drivers to help push Verstappen down the rankings in upcoming races.
The Grand Prix of Italy will take place on Sunday.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: The Guardian, BBC, Independent, Diario Uno, ABC, Vanguardia, Süddeutsche, O Dia, Speedweek, GPBlog, The Statesman, Zougla, Star Local Media, Fox Sports, Europe1, Listin Diario, Inquirer, Gooto, Sports Illustrated.