Pierre Gasly delivered a truly remarkable performance at the Italian Grand Prix, clinching his inaugural Formula 1 pole position and sending shockwaves through the Alpine camp and the broader paddock. The French driver, who had just seen his podium finish from the Monaco Grand Prix stripped away for a second time following a court decision, turned the tables at Monza by posting the fastest time in a dramatic qualifying session that saw several front‑running contenders falter. Going into the final segment of qualifying, Q3, Gasly was sitting third on the board, trailing provisional pole‑sitter George Russell. Rather than rush, the Alpine driver conserved his best lap for the very last run.
When the lights went out for his final attempt, he produced a flawless lap of 1:21.786, edging out Russell by a razor‑thin 0.060 seconds and securing the coveted top spot on the grid. This achievement marks Gasly’s first pole in his 190th Grand Prix start, a milestone that arrives six years after his lone career victory, also achieved at Monza under similarly unlikely circumstances while driving for AlphaTauri.
The pole is historic for several reasons. It is the first time the Alpine name has ever led a Formula 1 qualifying session, and it also ends a long drought for the Enstone‑based team, which has not claimed a pole since its Renault era in 2009. The moment was captured by jubilant scenes in the Alpine garage, with Gasly exclaiming over the team radio, "Yessssss!
Let's go. I've been waiting for that one!" He later reflected, "From the first lap in Q1 I felt very good in the car. I tried to chip away a little bit, every single session, and it felt like a very good lap. It's been nine years trying to chase the opportunity to get a pole.
I won my first race in Monza and got my first pole at this track. It's something special around here." Russell, who had set the fastest time earlier in the session, was left to rue a "messy" final lap that was compromised by Red Bull's Max Verstappen opening the lap.
Despite missing out on pole, Russell will still line up second on the grid, while his teammate Kimi Antonelli is destined to start from the back of the field due to engine‑change penalties. Antonelli, who had provided a tow for Russell during qualifying, qualified seventh before the penalty was applied. McLaren's Oscar Piastri originally qualified third but incurred a three‑place grid drop for blocking Red Bull's Liam Lawson in Q2. Consequently, he will start from sixth, promoting Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to third and fourth respectively, with Verstappen moving into fifth.
Both Ferraris will occupy the second row despite a qualifying session that fell short of the pole‑winning pace the team had hoped for. Their combined effort was enough to keep both cars inside the top ten, a narrow escape highlighted by Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto finishing just 0.001 seconds behind Hamilton in Q2. The final starting order after all penalties reads as follows: 1) Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 2) George Russell (Mercedes), 3) Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – after penalty, 4) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 6) Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 7) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – penalised to the back, 8) Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 9) Lando Norris (McLaren), 10) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls).
Notably, Lando Norris, the reigning champion, qualified only ninth after losing a tow on his final lap due to a mistake by Piastri at the first chicane. The backdrop to this surprise pole is a season of resurgence for Alpine.
After a dismal 2025 campaign that saw the team finish at the bottom of the standings, they have dramatically improved, though they had never started a race higher than seventh on the grid until this weekend. In the earlier practice sessions, Gasly was ninth fastest, about six‑tenths of a second off Russell’s benchmark. Yet, Alpine appeared to have refined the rear‑wing configuration of their Mercedes‑powered A526 chassis for Monza’s high‑speed layout, turning the car into a genuine pole contender. Gasly’s path to the top was methodical.
He topped Q1, then posted a solid fourth‑place time in Q2, staying ahead of the favorite Russell. In the opening runs of Q3, Russell briefly set the fastest lap, but Gasly lingered close behind, just 0.072 seconds off the pace. The decisive moment arrived when Piastri locked up into the first chicane, ruining his own pole bid, and Russell’s warm‑up lap for his final attempt was compromised.
Seizing the opportunity, Gasly delivered a flawless lap that catapulted him into first place. The emotional impact of the achievement was evident not only in the Alpine garage but also in the comments from rival drivers. Russell praised Gasly, noting a pre‑qualifying chess match in which Gasly had bested him, adding, "Massive congrats to Pierre.
That's an incredible performance. We were finishing 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!
Huge congrats to him. I was disappointed to not get pole position. It was a bit messy with Verstappen opening the lap, I did the lap very close, but Pierre and Alpine have been super fast." Gasly’s pole also carries a historic French connection.
He becomes the first French driver to claim a Formula 1 pole since Jean Alesi’s Benetton pole at Monza in 1997, linking the present success to a celebrated past. Beyond the immediate race implications, the weekend’s schedule is packed with support series: an F3 Feature Race at 7:10 am, an F2 Feature Race at 8:40 am, a Porsche Supercup race at 10:40 am, followed by the Italian Grand Prix itself at 2:00 pm, with post‑race analysis slated for later in the afternoon.
Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, Pierre Gasly’s surprise pole at Monza not only reshapes the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix but also underscores Alpine’s rapid development and the unpredictable nature of Formula 1, where perseverance, strategic car set‑up, and a touch of luck can overturn expectations and deliver historic moments.