Key events
Q3 gets under way
Table of Contents
- 1. Q3 gets under way
- 2. Norris makes Q3 after scare
- 3. Q2 gets under way
- 4. Hadjar exits after Q1
- 5. Q1 gets under way
- 6. Gasly signs new Alpine deal
- 7. Preamble
- 8. What strategic advantage did Max Verstappen gain by securing pole position at monza, considering the track’s characteristics?
- 9. Italian Grand Prix Qualifying: Formula One 2025 Live Coverage and Updates
- 10. Qualifying Results: Monza – September 6th, 2025
- 11. Session Breakdown: Q1, Q2 & Q3
- 12. Tire Strategy & Qualifying pace Analysis
- 13. Live Coverage Details & how to Watch
- 14. Monza circuit Characteristics & Qualifying Importance
- 15. Historical Context: Italian Grand Prix Qualifying Records
Pole position is up for grabs!
The top 10 were covered by a third of a second in Q2:
1 Max Verstappen
2 Some Antonelli
3 Plastri Oscar
4 George Russell
5 Lando Norris
6 Charles Leclerc
7 Gabriel Bortoleto
8 Fernando Alonso
9 Lewis Hamilton
10 Yuki Tsunoda
Racing Bulls say that Isack Hadjar will take a new power unit for the race tomorrow and will start from pit lane.
The bottom five from Q2:
11 Ollie Bearman
12 Nico Hülkenberg
13 Carlos Sainz
14 Alex Albon
15 Esteban Ocon
Norris makes Q3 after scare
The McLaren driver’s final hot lap is good enough for fifth place (0.153s slower than Verstappen’s quickest time), meaning Bearman drops into the bottom five.
Hamilton escapes, moving up to eighth and Norris now has work to do. Bearman is 10th.
Bearman and Alonso jump out of the bottom five. Hamilton drops to 11th and Norris is 10th.
Norris climbs out of the bottom five and into seventh. Bearman drops into 11th, with Sainz and Hamilton in the danger zone.
Alonso, Ocon, Albon, are in the bottom five as it stands. Norris is back out on a fresh set of soft tyres.
Piastri is third fastest0.151s slower than Verstappen. Leclerc and Hamilton are in the top 10.
Norris pits after cutting a corner and has his lap time deleted. He is yet to post a time. Seven minutes remain.
Russell is 0.147s slower than Verstappen and Antonelli 0.313s slower.
Verstappen goes fastest on 1:19.140three-tenths faster than he did in Q1.
Sainz and Albon head out straight away. Sainz posts 1:20.239 and Albon is over a second slower after some understeer in the final corners.
Q2 gets under way
The cars are back out on track at Monza.
The top five from Q1:
1 George Russell
2 Max Verstappen
3 Lando Norris
4 Yuki Tsunoda
5 Carlos Sainz
Q2 has been delayed as the stewards clear gravel off the track.
Hadjar fails to make it into Q2 for the first time in his career and it is fair to say he sounds disappointed on the team radio.
The bottom five from Q1:
16 Isack Hadjar
17 Lance Stroll
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19 Pierre Gasly
20 Liam Lawson
Hadjar exits after Q1
After the high of a third-place finish at Zandvoort, Hadjar’s final hot lap is not enough as he drops to 16th. Albon escapes the bottom five. Russell fastest.
Antonelli and Ocon are out of the bottom five. Lawson, back in the pits, will start back of the grid.
As everyone heads back out on track, Russell stays inclearly thinking he’s done enough.
Hadjar, Albon, Tsunoda and Bearman are safe for now but could find themselves in danger.
Gasly, Antonelli, Colapinto, Ocon and Lawson occupy the bottom five spots heading into the final five minutes of Q1.
George Russell goes fastest on 1:19.414 as Gabriel Bortoleto and Sainz move up to more comfortable places in the leaderboard.
Fernando Alonso jumps up to second0.047s off Norris, as Albon lifts himself clear of the bottom five.
The Williams drivers are struggling. Carlos Sainz had his first time deleted after coming off the track entirely and Alex Albon also left the track after locking up.
Norris goes top on 1:19.611 and Piastri comes in one-tenth of a second behind.
Max Verstappen’s first time is 0.011s off Leclerc’s fastest lap.
Leclerc and Hamilton occupy the top spots so farLeclerc on 1:19.801 and Hamilton 0.105s slower.
The tifosi bring the noise as Leclerc and Hamilton begin their first hot laps!
Q1 gets under way
The Autodromo Nazionale pit lane fills up with cars, Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari among them.
The championship leader, Oscar Piastri, is coming increasingly under the spotlight as his lead at the top extends. He’s played down title talk this week:
I’ve had a much bigger gap than this [in junior categories] and had it pretty much erased before the final round. It’s still far too early to be kind of calculating and settling for positions that aren’t first.
So for me, the approach is still exactly the same. And yeah, that won’t change until the gap is pretty significantly bigger or the amount of races is significantly smaller.
Here’s a reminder of how the top of the drivers’ standings looks.
The cars will be heading out for Q1 in five minutes’ time.
If Hadjar gets on the podium again tomorrowlet’s hope he takes better care of his trophy after what happened to his Dutch vase in Zandvoort …
Isack Hadjar, who earned his first podium finish last weekend, was investigated by the stewards after third practice after skipping the chicane at turn four and failing to take the required escape route.
Despite this being a repeat offence this weekend, the Racing Bulls driver avoided a penalty because of his low speed and the fact that no danger arose. He came away with just a warning.
Norris will be hoping to bounce back this weekend after the engine failure that left him pointless at Zandvoort. While that mechanical fault may prove costly in the title race, he’s been keeping spirits up this week:
I can literally only look ahead to the next few races and try and do more than I’ve ever done. But that’s it, if I lose the championship by those points, then I just have to keep my chin up, my head held high and try and do it again next year.
The team have done an incredibly good job so it’s unfortunate timing that it’s on what is probably the most important year of my career.
Here’s how third practice finished earlier on, Lando Norris leading the way:
As with any Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari are the star attraction. They have performed well so far in practice, with Charles Leclerc – who won here last year – second fastest in all three sessions. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first run yesterday. But as Giles Richards has been warning, they will find it tough to compete with McLaren this weekend:
All season Ferrari have been off the pace and Hamilton in particular is struggling as he adapts to a new team and car. It has been hard, at times volatile, as even he conceded this weekend in Monza, where he will take a five-place grid penalty from an infraction in Zandvoort but was at least honest about how both sides had perhaps been taken aback by the work their partnership required.
Gasly signs new Alpine deal
First, some news. Pierre Gasly has signed a contract extension with Alpine until the end of the 2028 season. The Renault-owned team stand last in the constructors’ standings after 15 of 24 rounds and the French driver has scored all of their 20 points so far, with a highest placing of sixth at Silverstone. A race winner, with victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri, the former F2 champion joined Alpine in 2023.
Preamble
And so, to Monza. The Italian Grand Prix is the last race of the F1 season to be held on European soil before its final eight fixtures elsewhere across the globe.
The dynamic of the drivers’ championship shifted quite dramatically last weekend in the Netherlands as Oscar Piastri opened up a 34-point lead over Lando Norris at the top of the standings. The Australian, who won his seventh race of 2025 in Zandvoort, has played down the significance of such a gap, which is the biggest it has been all season.
McLaren may not have long to wait to be crowned constructors’ champions – it is mathematically possible in Azerbaijan in two weeks – but a lot of the focus, of course, this weekend is on Ferrari.
Before qualifying gets under way in Monza in just under an hour’s time, let’s have your thoughts and predictions on this weekend and what the rest of the season might have in store. You can get in touch with me right here. Let’s go!
What strategic advantage did Max Verstappen gain by securing pole position at monza, considering the track’s characteristics?
Italian Grand Prix Qualifying: Formula One 2025 Live Coverage and Updates
Qualifying Results: Monza – September 6th, 2025
The qualifying session for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix at the iconic Monza circuit has concluded, setting the grid for Sunday’s race. Max Verstappen of red Bull Racing secured pole position with a blistering lap time of 1:18.750,demonstrating Red Bull’s continued dominance in Formula 1. This marks Verstappen’s eighth pole position of the season and further solidifies his championship lead.
Here’s a breakdown of the top ten qualifiers:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – 1:18.750
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:19.022
- George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:19.155
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) – 1:19.288
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:19.410
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1:19.550
- Sergio Pérez (Red Bull Racing) – 1:19.601
- oscar piastri (McLaren) – 1:19.775
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 1:20.012
- Alexander Albon (Williams) – 1:20.250
Session Breakdown: Q1, Q2 & Q3
Q1 (19:00 – 19:15 Local Time):
The first qualifying session saw all 20 drivers participate, with the five slowest being eliminated. Several drivers, including both Aston Martin drivers, opted for a single run on the soft tires, confident in their pace. Williams’ Alexander Albon impressively made it into Q2, showcasing the team’s recent improvements.Eliminated drivers were:
Valtteri Bottas (Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber)
Zhou Guanyu (Stake F1 Team Kick sauber)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas F1 Team)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine F1 Team)
Esteban Ocon (Alpine F1 Team)
Q2 (19:15 – 19:30 Local Time):
Q2 saw a more intense battle as drivers fought for a place in the top ten. Ferrari and Red Bull demonstrated strong pace, with both drivers comfortably progressing. mercedes also looked competitive, with both Russell and Hamilton securing their places. The final five eliminated were:
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas F1 Team)
Yuki Tsunoda (RB F1 Team)
Daniel Ricciardo (RB F1 Team)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Logan Sargeant (Williams)
Q3 (19:30 – 19:45 Local Time):
The final session was a thrilling display of speed and precision. Verstappen immediately set the benchmark, with Leclerc closely following. A late surge from Russell saw him briefly challenge for pole, but Verstappen ultimately held on too secure P1. The tight margins highlight the competitive nature of the 2025 Formula One season.
Tire Strategy & Qualifying pace Analysis
the soft tire compound proved to be the preferred choice for qualifying, offering the maximum grip needed for a fast lap. Teams focused on maximizing single-lap pace, with minimal fuel loads.
Red Bull: Demonstrated exceptional straight-line speed, crucial for Monza’s layout. Their DRS advantage was especially noticeable.
Ferrari: Enjoyed strong support from the Tifosi, and their car appeared well-suited to the high-speed corners of Monza.
mercedes: Showed improved performance compared to previous races, with Russell and Hamilton both securing strong grid positions.
McLaren: continued their consistent performance, placing both cars inside the top ten.
Live Coverage Details & how to Watch
For those who missed the live qualifying session, replays and highlights are available on the following platforms:
F1 Official Website: https://www.formula1.com/ – Offers full session replays, highlights, and timing data.
ESPN: (US) – Provides live coverage and on-demand replays.
Sky Sports F1: (UK) – Offers extensive coverage, including expert analysis.
Viaplay: (Select European Countries) – Streams live races and qualifying sessions.
* F1 TV Pro: – A subscription service offering ad-free live streams, onboard cameras, and exclusive content.
Monza circuit Characteristics & Qualifying Importance
Monza,frequently enough referred to as the “Temple of Speed,” is renowned for its long straights and challenging chicanes. Qualifying is particularly crucial here due to the difficulty of overtaking. A good starting position is essential for a successful race. The track’s low-downforce configuration emphasizes aerodynamic efficiency and engine power.
Historical Context: Italian Grand Prix Qualifying Records
The Italian Grand Prix has a rich history of dramatic qualifying sessions. In 2004
