Pierre Gasly sensationally takes first career pole position at Monza, Alpine stuns the favorites
Pierre Gasly produced the biggest surprise of qualifying for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix and at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza claimed the first pole position of his Formula 1 career. The French Alpine driver set a time of 1:21.786 on his final lap of Q3 and beat George Russell in the Mercedes by just 0.060 seconds, while Oscar Piastri in the McLaren was third with a time of 1:21.966. The result is particularly striking because practice sessions during the weekend suggested that Mercedes and Ferrari would be the main contenders for first place on the grid, while Alpine was not among the leading favorites. Gasly, however, had already shown in the earlier stages of qualifying that he had the pace to challenge at the front, and on his final attempt he combined a clean lap, good track position and a crucial slipstream on Monza's long straights. Formula 1 states in its official qualifying report that Gasly was among the fastest from the beginning of the session and that he even set the best time in Q1.
Gasly's final lap changed the expected outcome of qualifying
Ahead of the decisive minutes of Q3, George Russell appeared to be in the best position for pole. Mercedes had been strong throughout free practice, and Russell was the fastest both in the second practice session on Friday, September 4, and in the third practice session on Saturday, September 5. Official Formula 1 data show that he recorded 1:22.559 in FP2, while in FP3 he lowered the time further to 1:22.219. On his first Q3 attempt, the Briton used the slipstream of teammate Kimi Antonelli and set a 1:21.929, which temporarily put him at the top of the standings. In the final run he improved further to 1:21.846, but a few moments later Gasly crossed the finish line with a time that was six hundredths faster.
The official Formula 1 report states that before the final attempt in the last part of qualifying, Gasly was third, behind Russell and Piastri. The Alpine driver then recorded a 1:21.786 and took the lead at exactly the moment when the favorites were also trying to improve. His advantage over Russell was minimal, but large enough for a historic result, while Piastri was 0.180 seconds behind. Charles Leclerc finished fourth with a 1:22.004, Lewis Hamilton fifth with a 1:22.011, and Max Verstappen sixth. Kimi Antonelli was seventh before the application of a previously known penalty for changing power-unit elements, while Franco Colapinto, Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten in Q3.
Alpine showed its speed long before the finale
Gasly's pole did not come from one isolated lap without any previous indication. In Q1 he set a 1:22.612 and finished in first place, ahead of Verstappen, while his teammate Franco Colapinto was also very competitive. Formula 1 states that Gasly retained the fastest time of the first qualifying round until the end of the session, while the other drivers fought for the optimal combination of clean air and slipstream. In Q2, Alpine was again near the top of the standings, and Gasly safely secured a place in the final battle for pole. Colapinto also progressed to Q3, further confirming that the pace of the A526 at Monza was no coincidence.
That outcome was even more significant because of Gasly's limited program on Friday. Paul Aron drove his car in the first free practice session, so Gasly did not return to the car until FP2. He finished 14th then, but after the session said that the standings did not reflect the car's true potential and that he expected a very tight battle to get into the top ten. Formula 1 also stated in its Friday review that Alpine was already using the full upgrade package introduced at the previous race in Zandvoort on his car, while Colapinto received the same new parts at Monza. A day later, it became clear that the potential was significantly greater than merely fighting for Q3.
Monza once again holds a special place in Gasly's career
For Gasly, the success is particularly symbolic because it was at Monza in 2020 that he achieved his first and so far only Formula 1 victory. Six years later, at the same venue, he also claimed his first pole position. In a statement after qualifying, reported by Formula 1's official website, Gasly said that he had felt very good in the car from the first lap of Q1 and that from round to round he had tried to find a little more time. He also emphasized that he had waited nine years for his first pole position and that the fact he achieved it precisely at the circuit where he had already won gave the entire result special significance.
The 2020 victory also explains why Gasly will be under increased scrutiny from the leading grid position ahead of the September 6 race. Monza is a circuit where straight-line speed, power-unit efficiency, energy management and slipstreaming are extremely important, so pole position does not guarantee easy control of the race. Russell will start directly alongside Gasly and Mercedes showed strong pace during practice, while Ferrari will try to take advantage of its home race and the positions immediately behind the front row. Gasly, however, enters the race from the best possible starting position and with proof that Alpine can match the leading teams over a single fast lap.
Slipstreaming at Monza once again decided tenths of a second
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is 5.793 kilometers long and is traditionally among the circuits where aerodynamic drag and top speed have the greatest influence on the result. Because of the long full-throttle sections, drivers in qualifying often try to catch the slipstream of the car in front, but at the same time they must leave enough space so as not to lose time in the corners or encounter traffic. That balance defined qualifying on September 5. Formula 1 describes in its report the teams' battle for track position, while McLaren openly stated after the session that track position and slipstreaming had a significant influence on the final times.
Pirelli reported that during qualifying the drivers mainly relied on the soft C5 compound, while Russell and Liam Lawson also tried the medium C4 at the beginning of Q1. The Italian tire supplier also states that conditions were very hot: the air temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius, while the track temperature reached 49 degrees. Such conditions further complicate tire preparation and the timing of going out on track, especially when a large number of drivers are simultaneously trying to find the ideal slipstream in the closing minutes. Gasly and Alpine handled that part of the job well enough to turn a competitive car into a result that had looked unlikely before qualifying.
Mercedes had the pace, but Russell was six hundredths short
After Friday and Saturday's FP3, Russell looked like the most obvious candidate for first place. Mercedes arrived at Monza with championship leader Kimi Antonelli, but even before qualifying the team knew that the young Italian would face a major grid penalty because of a power-unit change. Formula 1 reported before the weekend that Antonelli's planned engine change was part of the team's attempt to avoid further technical problems, while Mercedes openly considered how best to use his qualifying session to help Russell. That is exactly what happened in Q3: Antonelli provided Russell with a slipstream on his first flying lap.
Despite that help and very strong pace, Russell was unable to retain first place. The official qualifying report quotes his radio message in which he said that he struggled more with the car in Q3 than he had in third practice, particularly with front-wheel locking and instability in fast corners. Even so, his 1:21.846 was enough for second place and a front-row start. Because Antonelli will drop to the back of the grid due to his penalty, Russell will be Mercedes' main asset in the direct battle at the front in Sunday's race. The gap of only 0.060 seconds in qualifying suggests that the contest between Gasly and Russell in the opening laps will be one of the key elements of the race.
Piastri third in qualifying, but penalized three places
Oscar Piastri finished qualifying third, but after the session McLaren confirmed that the Australian had received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson in the second part of qualifying. According to McLaren's official report, the incident occurred at Turn 2 after Piastri exited the pits during the closing part of Q2. The penalty drops him to sixth on the grid, allowing Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen each to move up one place compared with the pure qualifying order. McLaren stated that Piastri will start sixth and Lando Norris ninth.
Piastri's case further demonstrates how sensitive traffic and lap preparation were at Monza. On his final Q3 attempt, he locked the wheels under braking for the first chicane and was unable to improve his time, while Norris was left without a good slipstream and finished ninth. McLaren boss Andrea Stella congratulated Gasly and Alpine after qualifying and pointed out that the session showed how important the execution of operational details is at Monza. The team admitted that in Q3 it failed to repeat the strong track positioning from the earlier stages of qualifying, which limited its ability to attack the very top.
Ferrari did not turn a good start to the weekend into pole position
Ferrari started the weekend convincingly. Charles Leclerc was fastest in the first free practice session with a time of 1:23.008, while Lewis Hamilton finished second, so the home team immediately raised the expectations of the crowd in the grandstands. In FP2, Leclerc was second behind Russell and Hamilton fifth. However, in qualifying they failed to reach the front row: Leclerc finished fourth and Hamilton fifth, with a gap of only seven thousandths of a second between them. After Piastri's penalty, both will move forward on the starting grid, giving Ferrari a better position from which to attack in the race than the Q3 result alone suggested.
The gaps at the front were extremely small. Gasly had a 0.218-second advantage over fifth-placed Hamilton, meaning several teams were within a few tenths. At a circuit like Monza, such a small range can be the result of a combination of the car's actual pace, the quality of the slipstream, tire temperature and precision in heavy braking zones. Therefore, the result does not necessarily mean Alpine will have the fastest package over longer race runs. Pole position nevertheless gives it strategic value: Gasly can defend the lead from the first corner, while his direct rivals will also have to fight one another.
Penalties further alter the picture of the starting grid
In addition to Piastri's penalty, several drivers at Monza go into the race with pre-existing grid drops due to power units. Formula 1 announced that Kimi Antonelli will start from the back because of new power-unit elements, despite setting the seventh-fastest qualifying time. Alexander Albon also received penalties for exceeding the permitted number of engine elements, while Liam Lawson was likewise among the drivers with a power-unit-related penalty during the weekend. Because of the combination of those sanctions, the final order behind the leading positions differs from the order achieved in qualifying itself.
For Gasly and Russell, the most important point is that their front row remains intact. Piastri's drop from third to sixth opens space for Ferrari and Verstappen immediately behind them, and that could influence tactics as early as the entry to the first chicane. Monza traditionally offers opportunities to attack using the slipstream and heavy braking, so the leading drivers must account for the possibility that the order can change quickly even without a difference in outright pace. That is precisely why Gasly's pole has great value, but it does not remove the pressure that will come from Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull from the very start.
The race is scheduled for September 6 at 3 p.m. local time
The 2026 Italian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, September 6, starting at 15:00 local time in Monza. Gasly will start from first position and Russell from second, while the order behind them will be adjusted because of Piastri's penalty and other sanctions. For Alpine, Saturday's result is already an important confirmation of progress, but the real test follows over the full race distance, where tire, energy and power-unit temperature management will play a greater role than over a single qualifying lap. Pirelli warned after Saturday of very high track temperatures, while McLaren particularly emphasized the importance of power-unit and battery management ahead of the race. All of this suggests that the race will have a significantly more complex dynamic than the starting order alone.
Regardless of Sunday's outcome, on September 5, 2026, Gasly achieved one of the most important qualifying results of his career at Monza and gave Alpine pole position at a moment when few expected it. The fact that he reached his first pole position precisely at the circuit of his first victory further emphasizes his connection with Monza. Russell's deficit of only six hundredths, Piastri's third-fastest time and Ferrari immediately behind them show how close the end of qualifying was. Ahead of Sunday's race, it therefore remains an open question whether Alpine can turn this surprising result into a fight for victory or whether over the longer stint the teams that showed more consistent pace during practice will come to the fore.
Sources:
- Formula 1 - official qualifying report for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, Q1, Q2 and Q3 results and driver statements (link)
- Formula 1 - official second free practice report and data on Russell's time and Friday's standings (link)
- Formula 1 - official third free practice report and Russell's fastest time in FP3 (link)
- Formula 1 - Friday review for Alpine, information on Gasly's program and upgrade package (link)
- Pirelli - official qualifying review, times of the leading three drivers, compounds used and temperatures during the session (link)
- McLaren Racing - official qualifying report, Piastri's three-place penalty and announced starting position (link)
- Formula 1 - information on Antonelli's and Albon's penalties due to power-unit elements (link)