Red Bull driver Max Verstappen captured pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, a surprising feat against the dominant McLaren cars.

In a year where his title defense has sputtered, Max Verstappen showed he still is capable of magical laps at the Italian GP

Four-time world champion Verstappen raced around the 3.54 miles (5.79 kilometers) of asphalt at the so-called Temple of Speed in a time of 1 minute, 18.792 seconds, for an average speed of 164.466 mph (264.682 kph). That was almost a tenth of a second quicker than the one-lap record set by Lewis Hamilton on his way to pole at Monza in 2020.