Pierre Gasly delivered a stunning performance at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on Saturday, September 5, 2026, securing the first pole position of his Formula 1 career during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. Driving for Alpine, the French driver clocked a blistering lap of 1:21.786 in extreme conditions, edging out Mercedes driver George Russell by just 0.060 seconds. The result marks a major milestone for Gasly, who previously captured his lone Grand Prix victory at the same historic Italian circuit back in 2020.
Gasly Overtakes Mercedes and Rivals in High-Temperature Monza Qualy
The battle for the grid unfolded under scorching track temperatures reaching 55°C and an ambient reading of 34°C, according to reports from the circuit. George Russell had dominated practice sessions and established himself as the early pacesetter, setting a provisional benchmark in the final session. However, Gasly maximized the slipstream and the power of his Mercedes-powered Alpine A526 to leap to the top of the timing sheets on his final flying lap.
Reflecting on his historic run, Gasly expressed his disbelief over the team radio immediately after the checkered flag. “Wow,” exclaimed Russell upon learning he had been beaten to the top spot by the Alpine driver. Oscar Piastri of McLaren secured the third-fastest time, finishing 0.180 seconds adrift, though his session faced scrutiny from stewards following an investigation into an incident involving Liam Lawson at Curva 1.
Colapinto Shines with Career-Best Grid Position for Alpine
Alpine enjoyed a stellar Saturday as Gasly’s teammate, Franco Colapinto, delivered one of the standout performances of the afternoon. The Argentine driver secured the eighth-fastest time in qualifying with a lap of 1:22.220, finishing just 0.434 seconds behind Gasly. Due to a grid penalty for Kimi Antonelli—who ran as a tactical reference point or “hare” for Mercedes teammate Russell during the session—Colapinto will officially line up seventh on the starting grid for Sunday’s race, the best location of his trajectory.
“It’s quite incredible. There’s surprise from the team too, obviously. We didn’t expect to get pole,” Colapinto said in media remarks following the session, praising Gasly’s execution throughout the knockout rounds. The duo embraced warmly in the pit lane as team mechanics celebrated.”
Ferrari Struggles at Home While Alonso Suffers Early Exit
For Ferrari, Saturday’s qualifying session brought immense tension to the local tifosi. Charles Leclerc struggled without a vital slipstream on his final run, scraping through to Q3 before qualifying ninth, while teammate Lewis Hamilton narrowly avoided elimination in Q2 by a single thousandth of a second ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, ultimately taking tenth on the grid.
At the back of the field, Aston Martin endured a difficult afternoon. Fernando Alonso was eliminated in the opening segment of qualifying after cutting his run short and shaking his head in the cockpit due to an apparent issue with his AMR26. With penalties and eliminations factored in, Alonso is set to start Sunday’s Grand Prix in twentieth position, while Carlos Sainz will start fourteenth for Williams after securing a hard-fought appearance in Q2.
Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza is scheduled to get underway, with lights out bringing the field down to the tight braking zone of the Rettifilo chicane as Gasly leads the grid for the first time in his nine-year Formula 1 career.
