F1: Pierre Gasly breaks through with pole at the Italian Grand Prix

Pierre Gasly produced the surprise of Italian Grand Prix qualifying, taking pole for Alpine and becoming the first French driver to achieve the feat at Monza since Jean Alesi in 1997.

Gasly beat Mercedes driver George Russell by just 60 thousandths of a second. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was another 180 thousandths behind, making them the only three drivers to break the one-minute, 22-second mark on the famously fast Italian circuit.

The result came after Ferrari had raised expectations among its home supporters. Charles Leclerc topped Friday’s first practice session, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, while Russell led the next two sessions. The two Ferrari drivers eventually completed the top five, with Leclerc fourth and Hamilton fifth.

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Nine years have passed, working little by little and trying to get pole. I won my first race at Monza in 2020 and now my first pole.

Gasly’s pole also followed a difficult moment at the previous Monaco Grand Prix, where he lost third place after Alpine’s appeal against two penalties for exceeding the pit-lane speed limit failed. “Nine years have passed, working little by little and trying to get pole. I won my first race at Monza in 2020 and now my first pole,” Gasly said after climbing out of his car. He later described the qualifying session as “incredible” and said he felt extremely happy with his lap.

His Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto reached Q3 and initially recorded eighth, half a second behind Gasly. He will start seventh, however, because championship leader Kimi Antonelli received a penalty for an engine change and drops to the back of the grid. Antonelli leads Russell and Hamilton by 59 points and will start 20th. Max Verstappen qualified sixth, alongside Hamilton on the third row, while reigning champion Lando Norris was ninth. Gabriel Bortoleto qualified 11th, Carlos Sainz 15th, and Sergio Pérez and the other Spanish driver were eliminated earlier in qualifying.

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It is fantastic, qualifying was incredible. From the beginning I felt very good in the car and I really put together a very good lap. It is an incredible feeling, I am extremely happy.