Pierre Gasly stuns with maiden Formula 1 pole position at Monza
Alpine's Pierre Gasly claimed his first-ever Formula 1 pole position in Saturday's qualifying at Monza, ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and McLaren's Oscar Piastri, while home team Ferrari missed the top three.
Qualifying
The 30-year-old Frenchman set a time of 1:21.786 to take his maiden pole position, 0.060 seconds quicker than Mercedes' George Russell and 0.180 seconds ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fourth (1:22.004) and teammate Lewis Hamilton fifth (1:22.011), meaning the home team failed to reach the top three despite strong practice pace, as Motorsport-Total noted.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen missed pole by just 0.284 seconds but will start Sunday's race from fifth. Team principal Mekies admitted the result was not satisfactory but pointed to progress compared with Friday. Alpine's second driver, Franco Colapinto, finished eighth, 0.434 seconds off Gasly's pace, and said he could not fully explain why his teammate had improved more sharply through the session.
Penalties and grid drops
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes, 242 points) received a power-unit-related grid penalty that pushed him down the order — as a result, Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad will start ninth instead of tenth. Alexander Albon and Liam Lawson also carry grid drops linked to engine changes. Motorsport-Total's headline also references a penalty for Oscar Piastri without detailing the cause, while Formula1.com reports that stewards investigated an incident in which Piastri impeded Lawson during a Q2 flying lap. Yuki Tsunoda was eliminated in Q1 and will start 17th.
Gasly's story
Gasly's only previous F1 win came at this very track in 2020, driving for Red Bull's junior team Toro Rosso, a victory built largely on luck. This time, as the BBC emphasised, the result was earned on pure merit — Alpine's upgraded, Mercedes-powered car has shown strong straight-line speed all season. Shortly before qualifying, Gasly played and won an online chess game against Russell, a moment both drivers later recalled with amusement.
Alpine's weekend began under a cloud: the team lost the podium result from the previous Monaco Grand Prix after an FIA Court of Appeal ruling, and team boss Flavio Briatore sparked controversy by questioning the independence of one of the judges — a claim the FIA rejected and McLaren's Andrea Stella called insulting.
The Italian Grand Prix is scheduled to start on Sunday, 6 September, at 15:00 local time at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.
