Fraser MasefieldPierre Gasly took a stunning pole position for the Italian Grand Prix from George Russell and Oscar Piastri – a quickest lap of 1m21.786s in Q3 giving him the front row advantage off the line on Sunday.
It meant a first ever pole for Alpine and Gasly, who won in Monza in 2020 for Alpha Tauri.
It was also the first pole position since 2009 for the Enstone team, then in the guise of Renault and with Fernando Alonso behind the wheel.
The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton line up fourth and fifth ahead of Max Verstappen and Franco Colapinto following Kimi Antonelli’s demotion for an engine change.
Lando Norris, Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto round out the revised top ten.
“It was amazing!”
Pierre Gasly reacts to his first pole position in F1 🙌 pic.twitter.com/HvLMtQZDwk
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 5, 2026
“Yeah, it was amazing. Thank you. Thank you, everyone,” commented Gasly afterwards.
“It was an incredible from the first lap. I felt very good in the car and, yeah, trying to chip a little bit away every single session. And then, in the end, you know, it felt like a very good lap.
Pierre Gasly takes pole position at the Italian Grand Prix! 😱🙌 pic.twitter.com/qJW2M0LjSw
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 5, 2026
“But I’m so happy. It’s been nine years, you know, trying to chase and get the opportunity to get a pole position and win my first race in Monza, get my first pole position on this track.
“I think is something special.”
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It could still be a crucial advantage for Russell as he looks to eat into teammate Antonelli’s points advantage, the Italian taking a penalty for an engine change and forcing him to the back of the grid.
“Firstly, massive congrats to Pierre because that’s incredible performance,” said Russell.
“We were actually finishing a game of chess about 15 minutes before qualifying and he beat me there and I thought, well, I think I’ll beat you in qualifying,” added Russell.
“And here we are, he’s ahead of me again. So, yeah, huge congrats to him.
“Of course, I was disappointed not to get the pole position.
George Russell remains confident ahead of tomorrow’s race 💪 pic.twitter.com/oqVPyoYasU
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 5, 2026
It was a bit messy with Verstappen opening the lap. But, you know, Pierre and Alpine have been super fast, even from Q1.
“So, yeah, happy to see them get a good result.”
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Craig Scarborough