Formula One surprise in Monza: Pierre Gasly takes pole

Pierre Gasly turned Monza into his own celebration, taking the first pole position of his Formula One career in a result that surprised the paddock and delighted the French Alpine driver.

The 30-year-old had already won over the Italian crowd with a declaration of love for Monza in Italian. Six years after his first Formula One victory at the circuit, he finally ended his long wait for pole. “It was fantastic. I felt incredibly good in the car from the first lap,” Gasly said.

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It was fantastic. I felt incredibly good in the car from the first lap.

Mercedes favorite George Russell had to settle for second, after also losing a chess game to Gasly shortly before qualifying. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took third. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh, but a penalty for an illegal engine change means he will start Sunday’s race from the back of the field.

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This is a special place for me.

The result offered Gasly a striking response after appeal judges overturned his third-place trophy from the Monaco race a day earlier, ruling that his penalties for speeding in the pit lane had been justified. “This is a special place for me,” he said.

Ferrari’s home crowd had expected more. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton could manage only fourth and fifth, narrowly reaching the top 10 in the second qualifying session. Hamilton survived by just one-thousandth of a second. Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg ended the session 13th. Antonelli, meanwhile, faced renewed speculation about a future with Ferrari but said he remained committed to Mercedes, which has supported him since childhood.

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I feel that I have so much to give them. And if I am consistently happy with them, I will probably spend my entire career with them. We will see.