Max Verstappen celebrated after his Saturday performance in Monza. © APA/afp / PHILIPPE LOPEZ

Verstappen shines in Ferrari's home

Max Verstappen ruined the Ferrari party at Monza with a fabulous lap in track record time.

September 06, 2025

From: dpa/apa

The four-time Formula 1 World Champion excelled in qualifying, claiming the 45th pole position of his career. "This is a great moment for us," said Verstappen with a contented smile, after the 27-year-old had so many problems with the Red Bull this year. The Italian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday (15 p.m.).

In his fifth pole position of the season, Verstappen relegated Lando Norris to second place. The British driver, who is chasing championship leader and teammate Oscar Piastri, had to settle for second, 77 thousandths of a second behind in his McLaren. Piastri finished third, with 34 points more than Norris in the standings. Verstappen is already a whopping 104 points behind the Australian.

Lewis Hamilton enjoyed the crowd, but things didn't go smoothly for him on the track. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

The two Ferrari drivers finished behind the top three at the Scuderia's home weekend: Charles Leclerc in fourth place, Lewis Hamilton in fifth. The British record world champion has to drop five places on the starting grid due to a penalty at Zandvoort last Sunday.

Perfect atmosphere for thrilling qualifying

The stands were packed, the sky was blue, and the view was primarily of the Ferraris, which this time sported a new, old-fashioned livery. In honor of Niki Lauda's first world championship title, which he clinched at his home race in Monza in 1975, Hamilton and Leclerc drove Ferraris in red and white, just like Lauda's 312T. During practice sessions, the Scuderia duo certainly gave the Tifosi hope. However, this was somewhat dampened after qualifying.