Verstappen took record pole at the Italian GP

AP and AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, September 7, 2025, p. a11

Monza. It takes something special to beat McLaren this year, and Max Verstappen knows just that. The Red Bull driver surprised everyone with great speed and precision to set a record lap and snatch pole position for the Italian Grand Prix from Formula One title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen will go down in Formula 1 history not only for his four championships, but also for setting one of the most important records in the discipline: the fastest lap at Monza with a time of 1:18.792 minutes after reaching an average speed of 264.7 kph, beating the mark set in 2020 by Briton Lewis Hamilton (1:18.887).

“Yes, guys, yes. That's incredible,” the Dutchman shouted over the team radio after securing pole position . “Relax here, everything's fine,” he said.

Verstappen set the pace in the final stages of qualifying for today's race at Monza, and Norris couldn't match him, finishing 0.077 seconds behind the Red Bull driver. The other McLaren, that of world championship leader Oscar Piastri, will start on the second row alongside the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, last year's winner in Italy.

Monza is a particularly conducive track for overtaking, thanks to its endless straights. It's no wonder the track, located northeast of Milan, is known as the "Temple of Speed": drivers spend 80 percent of their time with the engine running at full throttle.

“This season the GPs have been a little more complicated for us, but we'll give it our all,” promised the Dutchman.

It can't be any other way if "Mad Max" wants to hold off the attacks of the powerful McLarens or even Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, fourth on the starting grid.

Thus, Verstappen achieved his 45th pole position and his fifth of the season, although only one of his two victories this year has come from the front of the grid.

Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) posted the fifth-fastest time in qualifying, but will start from tenth on the grid, after being penalized for violating speed regulations at last weekend's Dutch GP. "Starting from that position won't be easy, and strategy will be crucial," said the seven-time world champion. With this penalty, the Mercedes drivers of Englishman George Russell and Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli have moved up one position, meaning they will start from sixth and seventh. Argentine Franco Colapinto will start from 17th, ahead of his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly.