Historic! Pierre Gasly Takes Alpine’s First F1 Pole From George Russell at Monza

There are still times when magical things happen in Formula 1, and Saturday afternoon at Monza was one of them. Pierre Gasly has achieved his first pole position in Formula 1, the first for Alpine as well, and he did it by stopping the clock at 1:21.786, surprising by a mere 60 thousandths to George Russell’s Mercedes.

The qualifying was marked by the importance of drafting, to the point that there was a battle to catch the tow of rivals. But the incredible thing is that Gasly posted the pole lap without any tow, which makes even more interesting what will unfold in a race where several favorites start from the back.

Aston Martin becomes the worst car at Monza due to the Honda engine

What happened at Monza is absolutely historic. Alpine has achieved its first pole position in Formula 1, and it did so thanks to a magical lap by Pierre Gasly, who, without a tow, turned what seemed like a mere threat in Q1 and Q2 into a serious reality at the moment of truth.

Gasly had already shown very fast pace in the early stages of qualifying, but it seemed that in Q3 the favorites would reclaim control. However, that did not happen. George Russell was 60 thousandths off pole and will start second, with a great chance to win again but with a big pink obstacle ahead.

Third will start Oscar Piastri, who exploited Lando Norris’s tow to move up and then had a suspicious braking maneuver when it was his turn to tow him, which left Norris ninth. Ferrari can count their blessings: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton start fourth and fifth after the Briton made Q2 by a thousandth.

Kimi Antonelli, the world championship leader, will start last due to an engine-change penalty. Also Liam Lawson will start at the back of the grid, although in his case he could not even reach Q3, so he could not help Max Verstappen who will only start sixth, albeit less than three tenths from pole.

Franco Colapinto could not go beyond eighth place with the other Alpine, despite having Gasly’s tow on the last attempt. Arvid Lindblad also got into the pole fight, but finished tenth, though he will start ninth due to Antonelli’s penalty. As for the Spaniards, they have had to endure in Monza.

Carlos Sainz will start thirteenth, despite having the tow of an Alexander Albon penalized for an engine change. The Aston Martins are the worst car on the grid on a circuit with so many straightaways. Fernando Alonso has finished second-to-last, only ahead of Lance Stroll. Honda’s situation again teases public ridicule.

Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix qualifying results 2026

Images | Aston Martin, Alpine