Max Verstappen will start in pole position for the second time at the Temple of Speed, thanks to his track record (1:18.792) which - due to the imminent rule change - will remain in his hands for quite some time. He beat his rivals, who once again found themselves having to applaud the Dutchman, starting with the McLaren duo, who were 77 (Norris) and 190 (Piastri) thousandths behind respectively. Even Charles Leclerc was unable to do anything about it - after holding his own during the first attempt - he too had to surrender to Super Max's trump card.
That first shot at the start of Q3 was facilitated above all by the slipstream provided by Yuki Tsunoda, which allowed Verstappen to put himself in a position of (relative) strength ahead of the final shot. The four-time World Champion then outsmarted Norris in the final stages, completing the job without the aid of a slipstream and thus nipping in the bud the classic "he got pole thanks to the slipstream" comments that critics were already ready to make.
A meticulously constructed pole
Today's result is not only down to Max's great driving, but was also a real team effort; the team worked obsessively during the last free practice session, with the mechanics "trimming" the top of the rear wing in order to gain a few more kilometres per hour on the straights. It was a risky move, as Red Bull did not have another wing with the same level of downforce (although they would certainly not have had any problem using Tsunoda's one).
It may be a risky choice, but the Milton Keynes team knows it can afford to take it, having a driver who can perfectly manage the reduction in downforce and the resulting instability when cornering at Lesmo and Ascari. After all, this is what champions do: implement alternative strategies that would be unthinkable with "normal" drivers. Just ask Leclerc, who triumphed at Monza a year ago after being the only driver to make a single pit-stop.
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