Italian Grand Prix qualifying result as McLaren beaten and Ferrari party spoiled

It was billed as a Ferrari battle with McLaren for pole position at Monza. But everyone's party was spoiled by Max Verstappen who came from nowhere to snatch top spot in qualifying from Lando Norris.

And second place was an impressive feat in itself for the Brit, who was fastest in practice but endured a messy qualifying which threatened to further damage his title hopes. But with his very last lap he found significant improvement to put his McLaren one place ahead of team-mate and championship rival Oscar Piastri.

Naturally, the locals were cheering on Ferrari and they looked like a decent bet for pole throughout. But they fell short when it really counted as Charles Leclerc could manage only fourth, having not been given a tow by team-mate Lewis Hamilton on that last run.

That was the expected strategy with the seven-time champion carrying a five-place grid penalty. He was fifth fastest in Q3 but will start Sunday's race from 10th, with Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli benefitting – the latter putting in a much better performance amid his tricky run.

Isack Hadjar came into Monza riding high after his eye-catching podium at Zandvoort last Sunday, but was brought crashing back down to earth when he qualified only 16th for this one. It was soon confirmed that he had been suffering from a power unit issue which is likely to lead to a change overnight and mean a pit lane start for the Frenchman.

It was a rough qualifying for Racing Bulls as a whole as Liam Lawson also saw dropped out in Q1, 20th and last on the timesheets. Both Alpine cars also failed to make it out of the bottom five, while Lance Stroll was the other driver to fall at the first hurdle. In contrast, Fernando Alonso managed to steer the other Aston Martin to the sixth fastest lap time of all in that first portion of qualifying.

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Norris was left sweating in Q2 after his first attempt at a flying lap was abandoned when he cut the first corner chicane. That left him with one set of tyres on which to try two more runs, the first of which put him only seventh on the timesheets and very much at risk of a Q2 exit if he could not find more pace on the same rubber a few minutes later.

And it was looking touch-and-go for a while with the Brit the last man on a flying lap, 11th on the timesheets and needing to find pace in the final sector to overcome Oliver Bearman. But Norris found the pace, helped by a tow down the penultimate straight, to drop the Haas into the bottom five and make it through.

It was also a nail-biter for Hamilton, who Ferrari needed in the final part of qualifying to give Leclerc the tow he likely needed to be able to beat the McLarens to pole. The seven-time champion's best time in Q2 was good enough for eighth but left him at risk with several drivers still to cross the line, but after a worrying few seconds his place in the top 10 was eventually rubber-stamped.

The first of the two runs in the shootout for pole threw up some surprises, most notably Verstappen sat at the top of the timesheets. And Norris was again well down the order, only seventh quickest as he messy qualifying session continued.

Gabriel Bortoleto was quicker than the Brit in the Sauber on used tyres and the Brazilian was clearly a threat for those with ambitions of making it into the top five. Ferrari went first on the final runs but Leclerc was sent out ahead of Hamilton, so no tow for the Monegasque and also no pole.

And the same was true in the end for the McLarens, despite Norris finding the pace on his final lap to get the better of Piastri. Verstappen spoiled everyone's party with his 45th F1 pole position.