Pierre Gasly has taken a surprise pole position for the Italian Grand Prix, the Frenchman beating the Mercedes of George Russell by six hundredths, securing the team’s first pole since Budapest 2009. Throughout the weekend, Alpine has looked to be in a good position to challenge for pole, but the big question was how that would hold up against the top four teams.
The Frenchman was third on the timesheet heading into the final Q3 runs but saved his best until last to move ahead of Oscar Piastri and provisional polesitter George Russell to take the coveted pole spot with a surging final lap of 21.786. Like his win in 2021 here, his pole came in similarly unlikely circumstances.
For Alpine, it will potentially be seen as more vindication that they made the right decision to controversially end its Renault engine programme, with Gasly setting a 21.786 to leapfrog both Mercedes and McLaren. But will potentially raise questions for the FIA about whether their calculations declaring Red Bull – Ford the best power unit were correct.
Russell conceded that on his final run he had been too close to Verstappen, who let Antonelli by before the start of it to avoid running in clean air. The result is a hiccup for Russell, who has a golden opportunity to make up ground on team-mate Antonelli, who has a 30-place grid penalty.
Russell said “Going into Parabolica, Max just slammed on the brakes and didn’t want to be the lead car. In hindsight, it would probably have been better not trying this, but P2 is a good place to start.”
Gasly said: “It was amazing. Thank you to everyone. It was an incredible qualifying. From the first lap in Q1, I felt very good in the car, trying to chip away a bit every single session. It felt like a very good lap. It has been nine years trying to chase a pole position and to take my first win here and then my first pole here is amazing.”
However Piastri was handed a three-place grid penalty after the session for blocking Red Bull’s Liam Lawson in Q2. Piastri locked up at the start of his final Q3 lap to blow his own chances at pole. Piastri also hindered teammate Lando Norris when as leading the pack around, with Norris behind him, and locked up into the first chicane, going straight on into the run-off area and hampering his team-mate.
Now without a slipstream, Norris was four tenths down at the first sector and bled time through the lap. “Without a slipstream, with our straight-line deficiency, it’s hard to put something good together,” said the Briton
Charles Leclerc was fourth the Ferrari nearly six hundredths behind the behind Piastri as he went just under for hundredths ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. But neither Ferrari looked to be us threat for pole, Leclerc was just under a quarter of a tenth behind Gasly as Hamilton went six thousandths faster than Max Verstappen.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was never going to be in the mix for pole, the team opted to use his home race for tactical engine upgrades and that means he exceeded his allocation. Antonelli was just over a tenth faster than Franco Colapinto with Lando Norris three hundredths faster than Arvid Lindblad as they completed the top ten.
Monza always presents one of the closest Q3s of the season, with the benefits of the slip stream meaning the gap between pole and tenth was exactly half a second.
Gaberiel Bortoletto missed out on progressing through to Q3 by a thousandth as he was behind Hamilton at the end of Q2. The two Audi’s were split by the Haas of Ollie Bearman who was just over two hundredths faster than Nico Hulkenberg. Liam Lawson, once again standing in for Isack Hadjar was three hundredths behind the Audi.
Lawson putting his Red Bull half a tenth ahead of the Williams of Carlos Sainz, while the Haas of Esteban Ocon was slowest in Q2 but just by a thousandth of a second. Lawsons Racing Bulls replacement Yuki Tsunoda was fastest of those knocked out in Q1, nine hundredths behind Sainz.
Tsunoda was six tenths faster than Alex Albon, who was ahead of both the Cadillac’s and Aston Martin’s. Valtteri Bottas two tenths faster than teammate Sergio Perez while the Astons were nearly half a second behind. Fernando Alonso seven tenths ahead of teammate Lance Stroll.
