Pierre Gasly Stuns Monza to Claim First-Ever F1 Pole

Monza once again delivered a tense qualifying session, with outright speed only part of the challenge. The long straights, limited number of corners and fierce battle for a tow made traffic management and a perfectly timed final lap crucial.George Russell arrived as the early favourite after topping both Friday practice and Saturday morning’s session. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon and Liam Lawson were already facing back-of-grid starts following power unit changes, giving them little to lose in qualifying.Pierre Gasly immediately showed strong pace, setting the fastest time in Q1 with a 1:22.612. Oscar Piastri then led the early stages of Q2, before Antonelli moved ahead with a 1:21.882. Ferrari only narrowly secured both cars in Q3, with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc progressing in ninth and tenth.Russell set the initial benchmark in the final session after taking advantage of Antonelli’s slipstream. But Gasly saved his best for last, producing a 1:21.786 to snatch pole position in the closing moments.The achievement marked Gasly’s first Formula 1 pole, while Alpine secured its first pole since 2009, when Fernando Alonso topped qualifying for Renault at the Hungarian Grand Prix.Gasly also became the latest French driver to reach a significant milestone, giving France its 80th pole position in F1 history. Jean Alesi was the previous Frenchman to achieve the feat, also doing so at Monza in 1997.