Norris Missed Piastri’s Tow and Stayed Ninth in Monza Qualifying – the Title Slips Further Away
Pierre Gasly took a shock maiden pole for Alpine, while Lando Norris lost the benefit of teammate Oscar Piastri’s tow after Piastri locked up at the first chicane and ended up only ninth.
Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix produced a surprise at the top of the grid, but for Lando Norris the day ended in disappointment. The reigning champion could only manage ninth after a session in which he lost the benefit of a tow from his teammate Oscar Piastri’s car, who locked up his tyres at the first chicane.
Pierre Gasly unexpectedly topped the session for Alpine – his first career pole position after nearly 190 Formula 1 starts. The Frenchman said he’d felt confident from the very first laps of Q1 and described the moment as the payoff for nine years of waiting for the right opportunity. It’s also Alpine’s first pole position since 2009.
George Russell’s Mercedes took second, with Oscar Piastri (carrying a three-place penalty), Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s Ferraris, and Max Verstappen in sixth rounding out the group behind him. Norris was left in ninth, beaten even by Franco Colapinto.
The qualifying result coincided with a difficult moment for Norris in the overall season standings too. After the Monza weekend he sits fourth, now more than 90 points behind championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while George Russell is second and Lewis Hamilton third. The gap built up in this decisive stretch of the season is raising real doubts about the Briton’s chances of defending his title as the calendar nears its end.
All that’s left for Norris now is to rely on good strategy on Sunday and mistakes from the rivals ahead of him to limit the damage from one of his toughest Saturdays of the season.
