Italian GP Qualifying: Pierre Gasly claims shock first pole position to beat George Russell to head of Monza grid for Alpine
Alpine's Pierre Gasly upstages the title contenders to deliver his first pole in F1 after almost 200 races; George Russell second for Mercedes but Ferrari's home Monza challenge falls flat; watch the Italian GP live on Sunday at 2pm (build-up from 12.30pm) on Sky Sports F1
Saturday 5 September 2026 16:57, UK
Pierre Gasly produced a sensational performance to claim his first career pole position in F1 as the Alpine driver stunned the grid's usual frontrunners at the Italian Grand Prix.
A day after losing his podium finish from June's Monaco Grand Prix for a second time after a court ruling, Gasly was unexpectedly a threat at the front throughout qualifying at high-speed Monza.
The Frenchman was third on the timesheet heading into the final Q3 runs before saving his best until last to usurp McLaren's Oscar Piastri and provisional polesitter George Russell to take the coveted top spot with a surging final lap of 1:21.786.
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Gasly's first pole in F1, for his 190th race, comes six years after he claimed what stands as his sole career win, also at Monza, which was achieved in similarly unlikely circumstances for AlphaTauri.
It is the first pole position in F1 for the Alpine name and a first for the Renault-owned Enstone team since 2009.
Russell was left to rue a "messy" start to his final lap behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen and he missed out on pole by 0.060s.
But the Briton still starts on the front row in second for for a race that is championship-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli will start among the grid's back rows due to engine-change penalties.
Antonelli, who helped Russell with a tow during qualifying, took seventh but always knew he would drop to the back wherever he qualified.
McLaren's Piastri is a provisional third but faces a post-session stewards' investigation for allegedly blocking Red Bull's Liam Lawson at the end of Q2.
In Q3, Piastri locked up his brakes at the start of his final lap, running straight on at the same chicane, to blow his own chances of pole although he still outpaced team-mate Lando Norris for the first time since June's Monaco Grand Prix.
After consecutive poles and race wins either side of the summer break, reigning champion Norris was only ninth. The Briton was shorn of a tow on his final lap after Piastri's error in front of him but had struggled with his MCL40 during the session.
A greater surprise was the fact that Ferrari's challenge never truly materialised, with the home team fortunate to even make it to Q3. Lewis Hamilton got through to the top 10 by 0.001s.
The situation improved slightly in Q3 with Charles Leclerc qualifying fourth and Hamilton fifth but Ferrari had been hotly tipped to contend with Mercedes for pole on a weekend they have introduced an upgraded engine.
With Antonelli dropping out of seventh, Bull's Max Verstappen will start sixth, Gasly's Alpine team-mate Franco Colapinto seventh and Norris eighth. Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad was the final Q3 runner and will start ninth.
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1's Italian GP live schedule
Sunday September 6
7.10am: F3 Feature Race
8.40am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP build-up
2pm: THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Italian GP reaction
5pm: Ted's Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is at Monza for Ferrari's home race at the Italian Grand Prix with Sunday's race live at 2pm on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
