Alpine’s Pierre Gasly achieved his first pole position during the qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday.
The F1 racer appeared as astonished as everyone else when he was informed via team radio that he had secured the fastest time right after the session concluded.
“Let’s go! I have been waiting for this!” Gasly exclaimed, who celebrated his only Formula 1 victory at Monza in 2020.
Gasly demonstrated strong performance throughout the session, finishing 0.060 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell.
“In the end, it felt like a fantastic lap, and I am so thrilled; it has taken me nine years to pursue and seize the chance to achieve pole position,” said Gasly, who resides in nearby Milan. “To win my first race at Monza and then secure my first pole position on this track is truly special.”
Russell was among those who expressed surprise at Gasly leading the timesheets.
“To be completely honest, I don’t think we anticipated they would be in contention, and it really highlights the great job he did,” Russell commented.
Hamilton narrowly avoided elimination in Q2
Oscar Piastri finished third in qualifying but received a three-place grid penalty after stewards determined that the McLaren driver had impeded Red Bull’s Liam Lawson during Q2.
This decision elevated Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, with the Ferrari pair — featuring an upgraded engine this weekend — securing the second row. There was a moment of concern for the team earlier in their home race, as Hamilton barely made it into Q3 by just one thousandth of a second.
Lawson’s teammate Max Verstappen also advanced a position, finishing fifth. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh, but due to a planned engine change resulting in a grid penalty, he will start from the back.
Gasly’s teammate Franco Colapinto moves up to seventh place, while defending champion Lando Norris, Arvid Lindblad, and Gabriel Bortoleto complete the top 10 on the grid.
Antonelli is aiming to become the youngest champion in F1 history. The 20-year-old Italian leads Russell and Hamilton by 59 points, with Norris trailing by another 24 points after winning the last two races in Hungary and the Netherlands.
Russell also faced defeat against Gasly in chess
Sunday’s race presents a prime opportunity for Russell to close the gap on Antonelli, who was utilized for a significant portion of qualifying ahead of his teammate to provide him with a slipstream.
Russell described the qualifying session as “scrappy” and mentioned that he began his final lap too close to Verstappen, who allowed Antonelli to pass to avoid running in clean air.
Russell also disclosed that Saturday afternoon marked the second occasion he lost to Gasly.
“Huge congratulations to Pierre for an incredible performance,” Russell said. “We were actually playing a game of chess about 15 minutes prior to qualifying, and he beat me there. I thought, `Well, I’ll beat you in qualifying,’ and here we are — he’s ahead of me again.”
Gasly’s pole position comes just a day after he was stripped of his only podium finish of the season when the FIA’s International Court of Appeal reinstated a penalty he received at the Monaco Grand Prix in June.
Monza is known for its high-speed layout and relatively easy overtaking, allowing Russell a chance to overtake Gasly in Sunday’s race, and offering Antonelli the opportunity to gain positions.
“That’s a concern for tomorrow,” Gasly responded when queried about whether his car’s long-run pace is sufficient to contend for the win.