2024 F1 Round 16, Italian Grand Prix qualifying: Norris takes pole with a 1:19.327 as McLaren locks out the front row again; Verstappen only seventh, Yuki Tsunoda out in Q1

Qualifying for the 2024 F1 Italian Grand Prix concluded at Monza on the evening of 31 August, China Standard Time (UTC+8). Norris claimed the fifth pole position of his career with a 1:19.327, with Piastri just 0.109 seconds behind as McLaren locked out the front row again, having done so in Hungary. Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated in Q1 in 16th place.

Behind a dominant Norris, an astonishingly close battle played out for second through sixth: Russell was third, just 0.004 seconds behind Piastri; Ferrari’s Leclerc and Sainz were fourth and fifth at the team’s home event, separated by only 0.006 seconds; and Hamilton, who had topped two of the three practice sessions, was sixth, 0.073 seconds behind his team-mate. But behind those six lay a huge gap of more than 0.5 seconds on the timesheet.

Verstappen’s struggles continue. After advancing with the second-fastest time in Q2, he still could not produce a respectable time despite using two sets of brand-new soft tyres, eventually managing only seventh with a 1:20.022, nearly 0.4 seconds slower than his own Q2 time. “This set of tyres has absolutely no grip. It’s shocking,” he complained over the radio. The RB20 has struggled in the corners all weekend, and Red Bull’s lead over McLaren in the constructors’ standings has shrunk to 30 points—if McLaren finishes one-two tomorrow, it will collect 43 points in one go.

Yuki Tsunoda’s qualifying came to an abrupt end in Q1. He returned to the pits after his first run deep in the elimination zone in 17th, and although he improved on his final lap, he still fell 0.044 seconds short of team-mate Ricciardo, who only just made it through. “This car is so hard to drive, I’m lost for words!” he said over the radio, unable to hide his anger. For this round, RB fitted only his No. 22 car with a new floor, a revised cockpit fairing and a revised mirror package, but the upgrades still failed to translate into lap time. Before the end of Q1, Magnussen went off at Parabolica and brought out yellow flags, which may have affected Tsunoda, Ricciardo and Stroll behind him. The latter was eliminated in 17th.

Another rookie, Colapinto, ran off into the gravel at Lesmo on his final Q1 lap, ending his first-ever qualifying session in 18th. The start of Q2 was delayed while the gravel was cleared. The Q2 cut-off was just as unforgiving: Alonso was 11th, only 0.01 seconds short of advancing, with Ricciardo 12th, Magnussen 13th, and Gasly and Ocon 14th and 15th respectively. Albon and Hülkenberg, meanwhile, held on to ninth and 10th to reach Q3. Piastri was also investigated by the stewards after the session over a suspected unsafe release in Q1 that impeded Verstappen.

The race will start at 21:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8) on 1 September, with the drivers set to contest 53 laps of the 5.793-kilometre “Temple of Speed”.