Pierre Gasly delivered a stunning performance at the Italian Grand Prix, securing his inaugural Formula One pole position and surprising the usual front‑runners at the high‑speed circuit of Monza. The Alpine 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 in qualifying by posting the fastest lap in the final session. Going into the last segment of Q3, Gasly was sitting third on the board, deliberately holding back his ultimate lap. When the opportunity arrived, he unleashed a blistering final effort, clocking a 1:21.786 and edging out provisional pole‑sitter George Russell by 0.060 seconds.
The Frenchman’s achievement came on his 190th Grand Prix start, six years after his lone career victory – also at Monza – which had been achieved under similarly improbable circumstances while he was driving for AlphaTauri. The pole marks a historic moment for the Alpine brand.
It is the first pole ever for the Enstone‑based team since its Renault era, and the first for the Alpine name in Formula One since the team’s re‑branding. It also ends a long drought for French drivers, making Gasly the first Frenchman to claim a pole since Jean Alesi’s Benetton triumph at Monza in 1997. Russell, who had led the early part of the final lap before being hampered by a "messy" start caused by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, was left to rue his narrow miss.
Despite the setback, the Mercedes driver will line up second on the grid, joining his teammate Kimi Antonelli – who, due to an engine‑change penalty, will start from the back of the field. Antonelli, who had assisted Russell with a tow during the session, qualified seventh but was aware that his penalty would force him to the rear regardless of his time. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri originally qualified third, but a three‑place grid drop for blocking Red Bull’s Liam Lawson in Q2 relegated him to sixth. This penalty promoted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to the third and fourth slots, while Verstappen was pushed into fifth.
Both Ferraris will therefore start on the second row, even though their qualifying pace fell short of the pole‑winning expectations many had held for the Scuderia. The final top ten after all penalties were applied looked as follows: 1.
Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 2. George Russell (Mercedes) 3. Oscar Piastri* (McLaren) 4.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 7. Kimi Antonelli** (Mercedes) 8.
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 9. Lando Norris (McLaren) 10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) *Piastri serves a three‑place grid penalty; **Antonelli will start from the back due to engine‑change sanctions.
Lando Norris, the reigning champion, qualified only ninth after a disrupted final lap caused by a mistake from Piastri at the first chicane, which stripped him of a tow. He will move up to eighth thanks to Antonelli’s penalty.
With the championship leader forced to the back of the grid, Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto inherits seventh, while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad slots into tenth. The weekend’s drama began on Friday when the FIA International Court of Appeal reinstated Gasly’s pit‑lane speeding penalties from the Monaco race, demoting his result from third to seventh for the second time. The Alpine camp could have easily written off any chance of a strong qualifying performance, yet the team responded with a remarkable turnaround. Alpine’s 2026 campaign has shown a marked improvement over the previous year, when the team finished at the bottom of the Constructors’ standings.
However, until Saturday’s session they had never started a race higher than seventh on the grid. In the final practice session earlier in the day, Gasly was ninth fastest, a full 0.6 seconds off Russell’s benchmark, but the A526 chassis – powered by a Mercedes engine – suddenly appeared to be a pole‑worthy package in the hands of the French driver. Technical adjustments to the rear wing, aimed at maximizing downforce on the world’s fastest circuit, seemed to pay dividends.
Gasly topped Q1, then consolidated his position with a solid fourth‑place in Q2, staying ahead of the favourite Russell. In the opening runs of Q3, Russell posted the fastest time, but Gasly lingered close behind, only 0.072 seconds off the lead.
The decisive moment arrived when Piastri locked up at the first chicane, ruining his own pole bid, and Russell’s warm‑up lap for his final attempt was compromised. Gasly seized the opportunity, delivering a flawless lap that propelled him into the top spot. The Alpine garage erupted in celebration as Gasly shouted into the team radio, "Yessssss! Let's go.
I've been waiting for that one!" In his post‑qualifying interview, Gasly reflected on the significance of the achievement: "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 now I have my first pole at this track.
It's something special around here." Russell also paid tribute, noting a friendly chess match they had played just before the session: "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 thought, '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 not to 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." Beyond the immediate results, Gasly’s pole underscores a broader narrative in Formula One. It demonstrates how a driver and team can overturn adversity, turning legal setbacks and mid‑season penalties into motivation. It also highlights the importance of strategic car set‑ups for specific circuits; Alpine’s decision to adjust rear‑wing levels for Monza’s long straights paid off handsomely.
The upcoming race on Sunday will see a dramatically reshuffled grid, with the Alpine driver leading the pack, Mercedes battling from second, and the Ferrari duo hoping to recover lost ground. Meanwhile, the championship frontrunner, Kimi Antonelli, will have to navigate a challenging start from the back, testing his overtaking skill and the team’s race strategy.
Fans can look forward to a thrilling Italian Grand Prix, with the added excitement of supporting events such as the F3 Feature Race, F2 Feature Race, and Porsche Supercup, all leading up to the main event. The race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW for those without a contract.
In summary, Pierre Gasly’s unexpected pole at Monza not only marks a personal milestone but also signals a potential shift in the competitive balance for the remainder of the season, proving that perseverance and smart engineering can still produce headline‑making moments in the pinnacle of motorsport.