Pierre Gasly secures maiden Formula 1 pole at Monza as Oscar Piastri penalty lifts Ferrari
Pierre Gasly took his first career Formula 1 pole position at Monza with a lap time of 1:21.786, edging Mercedes driver George Russell by 0.060 seconds before an Oscar Piastri penalty promoted both Ferrari drivers onto the second row.
Maiden pole position for Gasly
Pierre Gasly secured his first career Formula 1 pole position on Saturday afternoon at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, clocking a lap time of 1:21.786 during the final moments of qualifying. The French driver, racing for Alpine, finished 0.060 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell. Gasly previously took his first Formula 1 victory at the Monza circuit in 2020 while driving for AlphaTauri. Following the session, Olympic champion Federica Brignone presented Gasly with the pole position award tire. The result delivered Alpine its first pole position under team leader Flavio Briatore, who returned to manage the outfit after it finished in last place in the 2025 constructors standings.
Gasly reflected on the session after exiting the car.
It is an incredible feeling. In Monza my first pole, here I won my first race. I immediately felt good, a great feeling with the car.
- Gasly sets the fastest time as teammate Franco Colapinto takes third for Alpine
- Piastri impedes Lawson at turn 2 while Hamilton and Leclerc advance by narrow margins
- Gasly secures pole position with a 1:21.786 lap, beating Russell by 0.060 seconds
- FIA penalizes Piastri three places, promoting Leclerc to third and Hamilton to fourth
- Scheduled race start for the Italian Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Stewards penalty reshapes the top six
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri originally qualified in third position behind Russell, but stewards investigated an incident involving Liam Lawson during the second qualifying phase. The FIA determined that Piastri violated Article B4.1.1 by impeding Lawson at turn 2 while the Racing Bulls driver was on a flying lap. Telemetry, video footage, and radio transcripts showed that Piastri had exited the pit lane without receiving full timing data on approaching cars before slowing to the right of the track. Stewards concluded that while the blockage was unintentional, it remained avoidable, issuing a standard three-place grid penalty. The ruling dropped Piastri to sixth on the starting grid, elevating Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to fifth.
- George Russell
- 0.06 s
- Charles Leclerc
- 0.218 s
- Lewis Hamilton
- 0.225 s
Ferrari locks out the second row
The stewards decision significantly improved the starting positions for Ferrari, which secured third and fourth on the grid for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc set the fourth-fastest time in qualifying with a gap of 0.218 seconds to Gasly, while Hamilton took fifth with a gap of 0.225 seconds. Both Ferrari drivers had narrowly avoided elimination during Q2 after running on used soft tyres, with Hamilton progressing by 0.001 seconds and Leclerc advancing by 0.007 seconds. Leclerc pointed to straight-line speed deficits as a primary challenge for the race on Sunday afternoon.
Leclerc described his approach following the conclusion of qualifying.
We made life difficult for ourselves, but I will try a bit of magic. I have already succeeded in 2019 and in 2024, I always think about it when I am here in Monza.
Mercedes tactics and grid order
Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli posted the seventh-fastest qualifying time for Mercedes but will start from the tenth row on the grid due to a penalty for replacing his power unit. Antonelli completed a single timed lap in Q3 before providing a slipstream tow along the straights to support Russell. Franco Colapinto qualified seventh on the grid for Alpine alongside McLaren driver Lando Norris in eighth, while Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten starters. Hamilton confirmed that Ferrari plans an aggressive strategy from the second row to challenge Gasly and Russell during Sunday's race.
Hamilton evaluated Ferrari's outlook ahead of the race start.
It hurts not to be at the front here, but it is a privilege to have the chance to race at Monza in red. I want to give something special tomorrow to the fans. We are continuing to progress: tomorrow we have to attack flat out.
