Max Verstappen's mother Sophie Kumpen drops 3-word reaction to the Red Bull driver securing pole position for the F1 Italian GP

Max Verstappen stormed to pole position at Monza, seemingly pulling out a lap time from thin air to beat the McLaren duo. Sharing her thoughts on the four-time champion's lap, Verstappen's mother, Sophie Kumpen, dropped a three-word reaction on her Instagram about her son's effort during qualifying for the Italian GP.

Verstappen has not had a stellar pole record at the Italian GP. Going into the weekend, he only had one pole position at the track, which he achieved back in 2021.

Though he has won two races at the track in 2022 and 2023, his grid slot for the race, coupled with Red Bull not having a car to beat McLaren on a week-to-week basis, meant that many had reckoned the Dutchman to not be at the sharp end.

So, when the 27-year-old went the fastest in the dying moments of Q3, the paddock was left stunned, as Verstappen went on to set the fastest average qualifying lap speed around an F1 track ever. Afterwards, his mother posted an Instagram story for her son's achievement with the following caption:

"What a lap 💪"

Max Verstappen's mother Sophie Kumpen's Instagram story on September 6 | Source: Instagram/@sophiekumpen

Meanwhile, this is Verstappen's fifth pole position of his 2025 season, and his first since the British GP.

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Max Verstappen happy with Red Bull's performance during Italian GP weekend

Red Bull's Max Verstappen after scoring pole position for the 2025 F1 Italian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Before the summer break began, Red Bull and Max Verstappen had a torrid weekend in Hungary, where the Dutchman finished a dismal ninth. This had shaken up the paddock as the RB21 was out of its working window, leading its star driver to finish on the fringes of points.

However, the summer break seemingly provided the break required by the Milton Keynes-based squad. Since then, Verstappen has finished runner-up at his home race in Zandvoort. And he has now claimed the pole position for the Italian GP.

Sharing his thoughts on claiming pole around Monza, Verstappen said (via F1's official website):

"I try! I think around here with the low downforce, it’s always very difficult to nail the lap, under braking it’s easy to make mistakes also, but Q3 felt good. I was happy with the laps, and of course to be on pole here for us is fantastic. The car’s been working a lot better the whole weekend, and to be able to fight for pole, I’m very happy with that."

If the four-time champion ends up winning the Italian GP, it would mark a return to the top step of the podium for the first time since the Emilia Romagna GP, which was held in May.