Against the form book, Pierre Gasly produced a stunning performance at Monza to claim the first Formula 1 pole position of his career, putting Alpine at the front of the grid for the Italian Grand Prix.

The Frenchman had shown impressive pace throughout Saturday’s qualifying session, but few expected him to beat the established frontrunners. Gasly entered the final Q3 runs in third, behind Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

However, on his final flying lap, Gasly delivered when it mattered most. His 1:21.786 effort propelled him to the top of the timing sheets, edging Russell and Piastri in a dramatic conclusion to qualifying.

The result carries extra significance for Gasly at Monza. It was at the same circuit in 2020 that he secured his breakthrough Formula 1 victory, making the Italian Grand Prix a particularly special venue in his career.

Ferrari endured a disappointing session on home soil, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton taking fourth and fifth respectively. Max Verstappen qualified sixth for Red Bull, while Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was seventh before his engine penalty was applied.

Alpine also impressed with Franco Colapinto qualifying eighth, while Lando Norris and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.

Hamilton only scraped into Q3, beating Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto by one-thousandth of a second. Liam Lawson qualified 14th and faces a grid penalty, while Yuki Tsunoda suffered a Q1 exit.

With Gasly starting from pole and Alpine showing remarkable pace, Sunday’s race promises a fascinating battle at the Temple of Speed.

2026 Italian Grand Prix: Qualifying Results

Italian Grand Prix — Qualifying Results

* Grid penalties: Antonelli, Lawson and Albon are subject to penalties, so the starting grid will differ from the qualifying classification.

The supplied results also mention Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll behind Albon, but don’t provide enough information to assign their exact positions reliably.