Pierre Gasly Takes First Career Pole at Monza After Nearly 190 Starts
Gasly beat the entire field for the Italian Grand Prix with a 1:21.786, edging George Russell by just 0.060 seconds for Alpine’s first pole since 2009.
Pierre Gasly beat the entire field at the Italian Grand Prix to claim a historic first career pole position, after nearly 190 Formula 1 starts. The Alpine driver set a time of 1:21.786, leaving George Russell’s Mercedes behind by just 0.060 seconds.
Gasly said the confidence had been there from the very start of the session: “From the first lap in Q1 I felt really good in the car.” For him, the moment is the culmination of a long wait – by his own account, nine years spent trying to find the right opportunity for a pole position.
The result is also a historic achievement for Alpine – it’s the team’s first pole since 2009, and it comes at a moment when the team is actively testing an updated package on its car over the Monza weekend.
Behind the Gasly-Russell front row came Oscar Piastri, carrying a three-place penalty, followed by Ferrari’s two drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who despite a less than convincing qualifying session managed to get both cars into Q3 – Gabriel Bortoleto missed out on progressing by just 0.001 seconds.
Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli was shuffled back down the grid due to an engine-change penalty, opening up extra space for his rivals in Sunday’s race and turning Russell’s front-row start into a strategic advantage for Mercedes.
