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Gasly makes his move to keep Russell in check on and off the track

From CNA · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Pierre Gasly beat George Russell in chess before taking his first Formula One pole position at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
  • Russell qualified second, with Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton behind him, while Gasly faces a difficult race against Mercedes’ stronger car.
  • Gasly’s result came after Alpine lost his Monaco third-place finish on appeal, adding an emotional rebound to his weekend.

Pierre Gasly outplayed George Russell at chess, then delivered the bigger surprise on the Monza track. The Alpine driver claimed the first pole position of his Formula One career at the Italian Grand Prix, leaving Russell alongside him on the front row.

The two drivers finished a chess game roughly 15 minutes before qualifying began. Russell won that contest, but Gasly answered with the fastest final flying lap. “We were actually finishing a game of chess about 15 minutes before qualifying and he beat me there, and I thought, ‘Well, I think I’ll beat you in qualifying,’ and here we are, he’s ahead of me again,” Russell said.

We were actually finishing a game of chess about 15 minutes before qualifying and he beat me there, and I thought, ‘Well, I think I’ll beat you in qualifying,’ and here we are, he’s ahead of me again.

· George RussellRussell described losing to Gasly in chess before qualifying, then finishing behind him on the grid.

Gasly said he discovered Russell’s chess obsession during the drivers’ briefing and exchanged Chess.com details with him. They played one game the previous day and another that continued into Saturday. “We are very competitive and, whether it’s on the track or off the track, we do need to find our little battles everywhere we can,” Gasly said.

We are very competitive and, whether it’s on the track or off the track, we do need to find our little battles everywhere we can.

· Pierre GaslyGasly explained the rivalry that developed through chess and Formula One.

Russell had been fastest in practice, and Mercedes has been far more competitive than Alpine this season. He also needs a strong result to reduce the 59-point gap to teammate Kimi Antonelli in the championship. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified on the second row.

Gasly’s only previous Formula One victory also came at Monza, in 2020 with AlphaTauri, now Racing Bulls. His weekend began with frustration after an appeal court stripped him of third place at last June’s Monaco Grand Prix, but he said he had tried to turn that anger into motivation. “My plan is to stay first as long as I can. How long is that going to be? I have no idea,” he said.

My plan is to stay first as long as I can. How long is that going to be? I have no idea.

· Pierre GaslyGasly outlined his approach to the Italian Grand Prix after taking pole position.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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