Pierre Gasly Secures Maiden F1 Pole Position at Italian Grand Prix

By Liam Tremblay — 5 September 2026 — 3 min read

Pierre Gasly of Alpine achieved his first Formula 1 pole position at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. He outpaced Mercedes driver George Russell and McLaren‘s Oscar Piastri during a qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix.

Gasly, who previously secured his first F1 win at Monza in 2020, demonstrated strong performance throughout Saturday’s qualifying. His car, which features a Mercedes power unit and recent updates, was a prominent contender.

Qualifying Session Highlights

In the final Q3 runs, Gasly delivered a lap time of 1m 21.786s, moving ahead of his rivals. This performance followed his third-place standing behind Russell and Piastri after the initial Q3 runs.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton secured fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen qualified sixth, while Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, a home racer, placed seventh before an engine penalty applied.

Franco Colapinto, also driving for Alpine, finished eighth. Lando Norris of McLaren, who experienced brake issues during qualifying, secured ninth, ahead of Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad in tenth.

Hamilton‘s progression to Q3 was secured by the finest of margins, with Audi‘s Gabriel Bortoleto only one thousandth of a second slower in their final Q2 runs. This placed Bortoleto 11th on the grid, ahead of Ollie Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg.

Other drivers facing grid penalties for power unit changes included Liam Lawson, who finished 14th, and Alexander Albon, who placed 18th. Yuki Tsunoda had a challenging session, ending in 17th position.

The qualifying session began with three drivers already aware of grid penalties due to power unit changes: championship leader Antonelli, Albon, and Lawson. The early stages of Q1 saw drivers vying for track position, balancing clear air with slipstream advantages.

Gasly set the pace in Q1 with a time of 1m 22.612s, followed by Verstappen and an improved Norris. Colapinto and Lindblad also made gains in this segment. Piastri, despite some brake struggles, finished 11th in Q1.

In Q2, Antonelli recorded the fastest time with 1m 21.882s. McLaren drivers, Gasly, Russell, and Verstappen were also among the top performers. Hamilton narrowly avoided elimination in Q2, finishing just 0.001s ahead of Bortoleto.

Reactions and Implications

Gasly‘s pole position marks a significant moment, as he becomes the first French driver to achieve a pole position in a Grand Prix since Jean Alesi in 1997. His previous F1 victory was also at Monza.

Russell expressed disappointment at not securing pole, despite his strong performance in practice. He noted that he started his final lap too close to Verstappen, which impacted his run. Russell acknowledged Gasly‘s performance, stating it was an “incredible performance.”

Piastri‘s third-place qualifying result provides a boost after recent challenging races. He mentioned that his first flying lap felt good, but a lock-up into the first chicane on his final run affected his session. There is an ongoing investigation regarding Piastri impeding Liam Lawson, which could potentially lead to a grid penalty.

Ferrari, despite engine upgrades, did not achieve the qualifying results they had hoped for. Hamilton‘s narrow escape in Q2 highlighted the competitive nature of the session. Leclerc and Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in Q3.

Gasly‘s pole position was unexpected, especially considering Alpine‘s performance earlier in the season. The team implemented significant upgrades at the previous race in the Netherlands, where Gasly qualified 11th.

Pos.	Driver	Time
1	Pierre Gasly GAS	1:21.786
2	George Russell RUS	1:21.846
3	Oscar Piastri PIA	1:21.966
4	Charles Leclerc LEC	1:22.004
5	Lewis Hamilton HAM	1:22.011

The top ten qualifiers for the Italian Grand Prix are: Pierre Gasly (Alpine), George Russell (Mercedes), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Lando Norris (McLaren), and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls). Antonelli will start at the back of the grid due to a penalty.

Source: formula1.com