Gasly and Alpine stun Formula One's big teams with Monza pole

For 190 grands prix, Pierre Gasly had never started a Formula One race from pole. Then, at Monza, the Frenchman and Alpine produced a surprise that left Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari behind.

Gasly's Alpine was the sixth-fastest car on the grid and Gasly entered the session as the 10th driver in the championship standings. Yet he set the fastest time in the opening qualifying segment, beating Max Verstappen by 19 thousandths of a second and Lando Norris by 47.

He remained near the front in Q2, qualifying fourth behind Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri and Norris. In his first Q3 attempt, Gasly was third, just 72 thousandths behind Russell, who looked the favorite for pole.

Russell was the only driver to improve on the final runs. But Gasly's last lap was decisive: a 1:21.786 that edged the Mercedes driver by 60 thousandths of a second. Toto Wolff, Mercedes' team principal, said Alpine's car had little drag in the straights and called it "a rocket".

Alpine's low-downforce setup helped it fly through Monza's straights, although the article expects Mercedes to have the stronger race pace. Fernando Alonso qualified 21st, ahead only of teammate Lance Stroll, while Carlos Sainz took 15th, two places better than at Zandvoort.

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They have done a great job, their car has no drag on the straight, it is a rocket.