Huge surprise at Monza: Pierre Gasly takes pole position for the Italian Grand Prix ahead of George Russell and Oscar Piastri, after a completely crazy session.
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Pierre Gasly created a huge sensation at Monza. While Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all seemed capable of fighting for first place, the Frenchman emerged in the final moments to grab a totally unexpected pole position at the Italian Grand Prix.
The Alpine driver beats George Russell by only 0.060 seconds after an extremely tight session. Oscar Piastri completes the top three, while several favorites missed their last attempt.
A performance all the more spectacular as Alpine was not among the main contenders for pole before the weekend began.
Gasly already surprises in Q1
Qualifying starts under particularly challenging conditions, with 34°C in the air and no less than 55°C on the track. Max Verstappen quickly takes the lead with 1’22″631, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri.
But Gasly takes advantage of the slipstream from a Racing Bull to create the first surprise. The Frenchman completes his lap in 1’22″612 and beats Verstappen by only 19 thousandths. Franco Colapinto confirms Alpine’s excellent form by climbing provisionally to third place in the wake of his teammate.
The end of Q1 is much more complicated for several drivers. Yuki Tsunoda fails to reach Q2 by a few hundredths against Carlos Sainz, who benefits from the slipstream of his teammate Alexander Albon.
Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are also eliminated in this first part of qualifying. Alonso finishes only 21st, ahead of his Aston Martin teammate.
Ferrari narrowly avoids disaster
Q2 offers a completely different scenario. Oscar Piastri first takes the lead with 1’22″017, only 0.050 ahead of Lando Norris and 0.109 ahead of Gasly. Ferrari, on the other hand, finds itself in a particularly uncomfortable situation since Charles Leclerc and Hamilton remain outside the top positions for a long time after using worn soft tires.
The last attempt then becomes crucial for the two Scuderia drivers. But Ferrari poorly manages its track positioning: Leclerc goes out first without benefiting from a real slipstream, while Hamilton also does not put in a particularly convincing lap.
Both SF-26s finally manage to save their place in Q3, but just barely. Leclerc finishes ninth and Hamilton tenth, the latter beating Gabriel Bortoleto by only 0.001 seconds.
At the front, Kimi Antonelli strikes hard with an impressive 1’21″882. The championship leader beats Piastri and Norris, but already knows he will not be able to benefit from a possible pole as an engine penalty condemns him to the back of the grid on Sunday.
Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hülkenberg, Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon leave the session at this stage.
Antonelli serves Russell
With nothing to gain personally in Q3, Mercedes decides to use Antonelli to help George Russell. The Italian thus offers his slipstream to his teammate to maximize his chances of grabbing pole.
The strategy works perfectly on the first attempt. Russell takes first place, but the gaps are minimal: Piastri is only 0.037 behind, Gasly 0.072 and Leclerc 0.075.
Verstappen also remains lurking at 0.141. Norris is already 0.327 behind, while Hamilton is much further back. Going out last and deprived of slipstream, the Ferrari driver concedes 0.795 to Russell.
Everything remains possible before the final attempt.
Gasly emerges at the perfect moment
The last seconds turn into a nightmare for McLaren. Piastri, who opens the track, makes a mistake at the first corner and immediately compromises his lap. Norris in turn finds himself without slipstream and fails to improve his time.
Russell, meanwhile, finds more performance. The Briton improves his reference and then seems able to offer pole to Mercedes.
But Gasly delivers the perfect lap when it matters most.
The Frenchman snatches first place by only 0.060 and causes one of the biggest surprises of the season.
A totally unexpected pole for Alpine
This performance takes on a particular dimension given Alpine’s season. The French team was not expected to celebrate like this on a circuit where engine power and aerodynamic efficiency play a decisive role.
Gasly had however given several clues throughout the session. Best time in Q1, fourth in Q2 behind Antonelli and the two McLarens, he constantly placed his Alpine among the fastest cars before setting his best lap in the final moments.
His pole owes nothing to a red flag or a session interruption: Gasly earned it fairly against Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.
And in a session where slipstream played a considerable role, the Frenchman and Alpine perfectly executed their plan.
Russell misses out by only 60 thousandths
George Russell can have some regrets. Mercedes seemed to have the car to beat after his best times during FP2 and FP3, and the Briton even benefited from Antonelli’s help in Q3.
But 60 thousandths ultimately separated Russell from pole.
Piastri must also regret his mistake in his final attempt. The McLaren driver had finished the first run only 37 thousandths behind Russell and seemed perfectly placed to fight until the end.
Ferrari, for its part, never really fulfilled the promises seen since Friday. Leclerc was only 75 thousandths behind Russell after the first Q3 attempt, while Hamilton paid a high price for his lack of slipstream.
At the end of a session where four teams seemed able to claim first place, it is ultimately Alpine who settled the matter. Pierre Gasly signs a sensational pole position at Monza and secures an ideal position to try to turn this huge surprise into an even more resounding result on Sunday.
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