Pierre Gasly of Alpine has secured pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, marking a significant achievement for the French driver. He outpaced Mercedes driver George Russell by 0.060 seconds during qualifying. This pole position is Gasly’s first in Formula 1, occurring at the same circuit where he achieved his sole F1 victory in 2020.
Gasly’s performance comes after a recent setback, as he lost his third-place finish from the Monaco Grand Prix following a penalty reinstatement by the FIA Court of Appeal. His pole position is also notable as he is the first Frenchman to achieve this feat since Jean Alesi in 1997.
Qualifying Highlights and Penalties
Oscar Piastri of McLaren initially qualified third but received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson. This penalty will move Piastri to sixth on the grid. The penalty benefits Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who originally qualified fourth and fifth, respectively, and Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen.
Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader from Mercedes, qualified seventh but will start at the back of the grid due to a penalty for using a new engine. Antonelli’s penalty presented an opportunity for his teammate Russell to gain ground in the championship standings.
Russell expressed disappointment at not securing pole, stating, “Massive congrats to Pierre because that’s an incredible performance.” He also mentioned a strategic manoeuvre during qualifying, noting that Verstappen “slammed on the brakes” to avoid being the lead car, which affected Russell’s final lap. Despite this, Russell acknowledged that starting in second position is a good outcome.
Alpine’s Unexpected Performance
Gasly’s pole position was unexpected, especially considering Alpine’s recent performance. The team introduced a major upgrade at the previous race in the Netherlands, where Gasly qualified 11th. Gasly, who resides in Milan, spoke to the crowd in Italian after qualifying, expressing his excitement.
He reflected on his career, stating, “It has been nine years trying to chase a pole position and to take my first win here and then my first pole here is amazing.” Alpine’s executive adviser, Flavio Briatore, played a role in the team’s decision to switch to Mercedes power units at the end of last year, a move that has contributed to their improved performance.
The team had also focused their efforts on preparing for this year’s new rules by curtailing work on their 2025 car. While they had a strong start to the season, their performance had seen a dip as other teams upgraded their vehicles. Gasly’s pole position, however, exceeded the team’s expectations.
Other notable qualifying results include Lando Norris of McLaren, who qualified ninth after a challenging session. Ferrari, despite having a new engine believed to be worth about 0.1 seconds per lap, did not perform as strongly as anticipated in the final session. Hamilton narrowly made it into the final session, just 0.001 seconds ahead of Audi‘s Gabriel Bortoleto.
The top ten qualifiers were:
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)*
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)**
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
*Piastri has a three-place grid penalty and will start sixth, while **Antonelli will start at the back due to a 30-place grid penalty.
The Q2 eliminations included Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hülkenberg, Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz, and Esteban Ocon. Lawson, Antonelli, and Alexander Albon were all relegated to the back of the grid for using new power unit elements.
The race will take place tomorrow, with Gasly hoping to convert his pole position into a strong finish.
Source: bbc.com