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Gasly shocks Monza
Pierre Gasly took pole position for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, delivering a final Q3 lap of 1m21.786s to beat Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.060s and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 0.180s.
“Gasly produced a remarkable final Q3 lap of 1m21.786s to snatch top spot by just 0.060s from Russell.”
Gasly’s pole came in a session where the entire top 10 was covered by only half a second and where the decisive final attempts transformed the picture after Piastri ran wide at the first chicane and Norris was unable to improve.
Russell, who had been on provisional pole earlier, finished second with a 1m21.846s effort, while Piastri completed the top three with 1m21.966s.
The result marked a first pole for Alpine, and it was also Gasly’s first pole position of his Formula 1 career at his 190th start.
In Q3, Gasly jumped both Piastri and Russell to claim the front spot, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton taking fourth and fifth on home soil ahead of Max Verstappen in sixth.
Quotes and grid fallout
After qualifying, Gasly said, “It was amazing! Thank you everyone. An incredible qualifying,” and he added, “It’s been nine years trying to chase the opportunity to get a pole.”
Russell responded with disappointment, telling reporters, “We were actually playing a game of chess about 15 minutes before qualifying and he beat me there and I went 'well, I think I will beat you in qualifying' and here we are, he's ahead of me again!”
Piastri qualified third but faced a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson in Q2, a change that left Piastri starting sixth on Sunday.
The penalty reshuffled the front of the grid, with Sky Sports noting that Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were promoted to third and fourth respectively, while Verstappen moved into fifth.
Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh but will start in 20th due to engine-change penalties, and Sky Sports said Antonelli had helped Russell with a tow during qualifying.
What it means for Sunday
The pole gives Alpine and Gasly a front-row advantage off the line on Sunday, with the FIA’s qualifying result placing Gasly ahead of Russell and Piastri as the top three.
“Antonelli qualified seventh but will go to the back due to engine penalties. That lifted Alpine's Franco Colapinto to seventh”
For Russell, the second-place start is framed as a chance to cut the gap to teammate Kimi Antonelli, who was described as “59 points” clear of Russell and Hamilton in the lead-up to the race.
The grid consequences extend beyond the front row, with the FIA listing Max Verstappen sixth, Franco Colapinto eighth, and Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10, while Lando Norris qualified ninth.
Motorsport.com’s live coverage also highlighted that Piastri was summoned to the stewards after qualifying third, and it described Norris as “disappointed ninth” after not being able to grab a slipstream from Piastri.
With Gasly’s pole coming after a Monaco podium was overturned by the FIA’s international court of appeal, The Guardian said the response Gasly would have wanted most was on track as Alpine delivered “to perfection” at Monza.