Norris: Surprised! It hurts me to say it was not a great qualifying lap

Norris's P1 time was 0.109 seconds faster than his teammate Oscar Piastri's effort, securing an all-McLaren front row at the Temple of Speed for Sunday's 75th running of the Grand Prix of Italy.

Making the occasion even sweeter, McLaren's archrival Max Verstappen had a below-par session by his lofty standards. The #1 Red Bull driver struggled to find a drivable balance on the RB20 and only managed P7. This was all good news for McLaren, who are chasing the World Champions for this year's F1 Constructors' title.

Norris summed up his session in Monza's parc fermé: "Another pole, which is amazing. To have two cars first and second—when the field has been as tight as it has all weekend—is a little bit of a surprise, but a nice one.

"A big well done to the team; they have done an amazing job. Honestly, my lap was—it hurts me to say—not a great lap. Still, getting pole... I'm a little bit surprised again, but very, very happy," added Norris, who will be looking for back-to-back wins at the venue where he might have won in 2021 had McLaren not issued team orders to keep him behind eventual winner Daniel Ricciardo.

Of back-to-back wins, Norris replied: "Yes, the same! Really, the same would be lovely, but like we've seen all weekend, it's so close. There are a lot of very quick drivers behind in quick cars, so I'm not expecting a very easy race.

"There are a lot of unknowns going into the race, with the degradation, the tyres, the tarmac, you know, so plenty of question marks and plenty of excitement," concluded the 24-year-old Briton.

The man who rebuilt McLaren, Zak Brown, was pumped by his team's lockout: "Awesome performance from Lando and Oscar. We have given them a fast car, and they are getting the job done. We thought we had a shot at pole, but it could have been a few cars with how close it is. I think we are going to see an epic battle.

"Lando has always been a relaxed guy, but when you are getting multiple poles and multiple wins, it becomes a bit easier," ventured the McLaren team boss.

As for backing Norris for the title with Piastri playing a support role, Brown said: "That is a discussion we will have with Andrea [Stella]. We have a Drivers' Championship and a Constructors' Championship, and we will see how things play out and keep everyone on their toes.

"Oscar has been very clear: he is happy to support the team. As is Lando, happy to support the team. We will have a conversation behind closed doors and will share that when we decide for ourselves. It is a luxury to have," acknowledged Brown, now the boss of an F1 title-contending team.