Reigning champion Max Verstappen snatched an unexpected pole position at the Italian Grand after finishing of McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in qualifying at Monza on Saturday.
The Red Bull driver produced a blistering final lap to beat second-place Norris by 0.077 seconds with championship leader Piastri third, while the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth – but the Briton will start Sunday’s race in 10th as he serves a five-place grid penalty.
Verstappen's time of one minute 18.792 seconds beat the F1 lap record set by Hamilton at Monza in 2020 for Mercedes by 0.095 secs
After dominating last weekend's Dutch GP from start to finish, when victory saw Piastri extend his lead over teammate Norris in the title race to 34 points, the Australian had to settle for second row on the grid at the 'Temple of Speed' in Northern Italy.
It is four-time champion Verstappen's first pole since the British GP four rounds ago while it was in Italy that the Dutchman last won a race at Imola back on May 18.
It was also the 45th pole of his career, which takes Verstappen above former Red Bull man Sebastian Vettel's record total with the team.
“Q3 felt good and I'm happy with the laps and to be on pole here for us is also fantastic,” said Verstappen “The car has been working better the whole weekend and to be able to fight for pole, I'm very happy with that.
“It was tight, we were still lacking a tiny amount and we made some final changes which I think allowed me to push a bit more and that's exactly what you need in qualifying. For us, it's a great moment.”
Norris, who was forced to drop out at the Zandoort Circuit last Sunday with seven laps to go while in second place, feels that it will be “a “big challenge” to get past Verstappen.
“I feel like I didn't do the best of jobs but to get P2 I'm still happy so let's say there were good and bad things,” said the Briton.
“P2 is not a bad position to be off the line and I want to be ahead of everyone and that includes my championship contenders and Oscar.
“Our race on Sunday is normally our strength. [Red Bull's] race pace is very strong. If you see at the end of the lap, they're doing the same times as us.
Piastri, who was won two out of the last races, admitted that “would have liked to be a little bit further up” on the grid.
“Nothing major [went wrong], Turn One was a little bit average but the rest of the lap felt pretty tidy,” he said.
“I felt like I executed a pretty good session and built a little bit up to it at the start and found my feet.
“I think it’s just been incredibly tight this weekend, Red Bull and Max Verstappen looked quick, to be honest a lot of teams looked quick.
“It’s not been quite as comfortable for us so the result is not a big surprise.
“I will try to make up some spots tomorrow because I would like a few more wins if I can.”
Ferrari's Leclerc had “no regrets” with his performance at the circuit where he also started from fourth on the grid last year but went on to claim a memorable victory.
“I knew my lap was I hate to say perfect and I think no one ever does a perfect lap, but I think it was as close as what I would want to do during a qualifying lap,” said the Monegasque.
“I knew I had taken all the risk in the first run, I wanted to go for a bit more in the second run but it didn't work out. I have no regrets because that is the place we could have done in the best possible case.”
Teammate Hamilton remained upbeat despite his grid penalty paid tribute to the Italian fans at Monza.
“It's been an amazing weekend here as a Ferrari driver, I can't even find the words for it to be honest,” said the seven-time champion. “The fans are really beautiful and the energy since Wednesday, they've turned up in the thousands.
“When I leave the garage and you get down to Turn 1 you see them on the left and the right and you see red.
“I don't know what's possible tomorrow but I will work my way through.”
Rounding off the top of Sunday's grid will be Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth, Gabriel Bortoleto was an impressive seventh for Sauber ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda.
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
THE SPECS
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
GAC GS8 Specs
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
