- Italian GP Qualifying: Gasly Leads Russell as Ferrari Benefit from Piastri Penalty
Pierre Gasly produced one of the shocks of the 2026 Formula One season by claiming the first pole position of his career for Alpine at the Italian Grand Prix, beating Mercedes’ George Russell in a dramatic qualifying session at Monza.
The Frenchman saved his best for the closing stages of Q3, setting a 1:21.786 lap to beat Russell by just 0.060 seconds. Oscar Piastri was third-fastest for McLaren at 0.180 seconds off pole, ahead of Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Gasly’s result represented a remarkable breakthrough after 190 Formula One starts and delivered the first pole position for the Alpine name. It was also the first pole for the Renault-owned Enstone operation since 2009.
The achievement carried added historical weight at Monza, where Gasly claimed his only Formula One victory six years earlier. He also became the first French driver to take pole since Jean Alesi did so for Benetton at the same circuit in 1997.
Gasly had shown little sign earlier in the weekend that such a result was coming. He was only ninth-fastest in final practice, around six tenths of a second away from Russell’s benchmark, while Alpine had not started a race higher than seventh on the grid all season.
Qualifying transformed that picture. Gasly led Q1 and remained firmly in contention through Q2 before staying within 0.072 seconds of provisional polesitter Russell after the opening runs in Q3.
His final attempt proved decisive.
Piastri compromised his own pole challenge by locking up at the first chicane, while Russell’s preparation for his final lap was disrupted. Gasly capitalised, jumping ahead to secure a result that triggered celebrations inside the Alpine garage.
“From the first lap in Q1, I felt very good in the car,” Gasly said afterwards. “It’s been nine years trying to chase the opportunity to get a pole.”
The result also reinforced Gasly’s unusual affinity with Monza. “I won my first race in Monza and got my first pole at this track. It’s something special around here,” he said.
Russell was left narrowly short despite appearing to be the favourite for much of qualifying. The Mercedes driver nevertheless praised Gasly’s performance, describing it as “incredible” after the Alpine driver beat him both on track and, amusingly, in a game of chess shortly before the session.
The starting order behind the front row will differ from the raw qualifying classification because of grid penalties.
Piastri, who qualified third, received a three-place grid penalty for blocking Liam Lawson at the end of Q2 and will therefore start sixth. That promotes Leclerc to third, Hamilton to fourth and Max Verstappen to fifth.
The penalty gives Ferrari an unexpected second-row lockout at their home race after a qualifying session in which their anticipated challenge for pole never fully materialised. Leclerc had originally qualified fourth and Hamilton fifth before Piastri’s sanction altered the grid.
Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh for Mercedes but is set to start from the back because of engine penalties. That promotes Gasly’s Alpine team-mate Franco Colapinto, reigning world champion Lando Norris and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad further up the final starting order.
Norris endured a particularly frustrating qualifying session, finishing only ninth after consecutive poles and victories either side of the summer break. His final Q3 attempt was compromised when he lost the benefit of a tow following Piastri’s error at the opening chicane.
The session therefore produced an unusually mixed grid at a circuit where slipstreaming, low-downforce configuration and tiny margins can dramatically reshape qualifying.
For Alpine, Gasly’s pole is especially significant given the team’s recovery from a difficult 2025 season, when it finished last in the constructors’ standings. The result provides striking evidence of how competitive the A526 could become when its low-drag configuration aligned with Monza’s demands.
Pole position does not guarantee Gasly victory, particularly with Russell, Ferrari and Verstappen starting directly behind him and several title contenders possessing stronger race pace over the season.
But the Frenchman has already demonstrated what can happen at Monza when opportunity meets execution.
Six years after producing a similarly unexpected victory at the Temple of Speed, Gasly returns to the front of the grid with another career-defining result.
This time, Alpine’s outsider did not merely disrupt the favourites — he beat every one of them over a single lap.
