Lando Norris Secures Pole in Thrilling Italian Grand Prix Qualifying

Lando Norris achieved his second consecutive pole position in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, with teammate Oscar Piastri right behind him. The qualifying session saw significant performances from Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, setting up an exciting race with potential battles among top teams, including an underperforming Red Bull.

Lando Norris roared to his second successive pole position, and third in four races, in a McLaren front row sweep with team mate Oscar Piastri in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday.

George Russell will line up third for Mercedes and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz qualified fourth and fifth for the team's home race with an upgraded car.

Red Bull's Formula One leader Max Verstappen qualified only seventh, one place behind Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton who had been fastest in final practice. Verstappen leads Norris by 70 points with nine races remaining but the Briton could take a chunk out of that on Sunday.

Norris, who also secured pole in the Netherlands last Saturday before his win on Sunday, finished with a time of one minute 19.327 seconds, 0.109 seconds quicker than Piastri, while Russell was 0.113 seconds off the pace and Leclerc 0.134 seconds behind.

McLaren is now in a prime position to challenge leaders Red Bull in the constructors' standings, with Sunday's race at the 'Temple of Speed' near Milan promising a tight battle between the top four teams.

(With inputs from agencies.)