Norris lands pole for Italian GP, Verstappen qualifies 7th

Lando Norris is on pole at the Temple of Speed.

McLaren locked out the front row ahead of the Italian Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri qualifying second. It marks back-to-back races in which Norris will start from pole position.

"Another pole, which is amazing," Norris said. "It's so close, there's a lot of very quick drivers behind me and quick cars, so I'm not expecting an easy race tomorrow."

Championship leader Max Verstappen struggled throughout the session and will start Sunday's race from seventh.

"It's very difficult to drive and find a balance in it," Verstappen said of the car. "It's not very drivable at the moment."

He added: "The last few races have not been great. We have to really try and turn it around and become more competitive."

Norris sits 70 points behind Verstappen in the drivers' standings, while McLaren is 30 points back of Red Bull in the constructors' standings.

"We need to address (our issues) quickly," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "We've seen the McLarens make a significant step the last few races, and we're now behind Ferrari and Mercedes as well."

Verstappen, who has started from pole just once in the last nine races, has won each of the last two Italian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton will start sixth - his best qualifying position at the circuit since 2021 - but believes it was a missed opportunity.

"Furious," Hamilton said of his performance. "I could have been pole. I think I could have at least been on the front row but just didn't do the job in the end. ... No one to blame but myself. Qualifying has been my weakness for a minute now, and I can't figure it out."

Franco Colapinto qualified 18th in his Williams debut. The 21-year-old Argentine replaced Logan Sargeant for the remainder of the season after the Dutch GP.

Sunday's race gets underway at 9 a.m. ET.