Gasly’s Maiden Pole at Monza Shocks F1 Grid

On September 5 2026, French driver Pierre Gasly secured his first Formula 1 pole at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, posting a lap of 1:21.786 to beat George Russell (Mercedes) by 0.060 seconds. The result gave Alpine its inaugural pole under the Alpine name and the first for the Enstone-based operation since Fernando Alonso’s 2009 Hungarian GP pole as Renault.

Gasly breaks 17-year Alpine/Renault pole drought at Italian GP Pierre Gasly takes a sensational pole at Monza: where does Alpine’s speed come from? Italian GP Qualifying: Pierre Gasly claims shock first pole position to beat George Russell to head of Monza grid for Alpine Pierre Gasly Stuns F1 with Maiden Pole at Monza Road & TrackReutersThe National NewsPierre Gasly after his sensational pole: “What is it with Monza and me?”

Gasly’s triumph came a day after the FIA International Court of Appeal reinstated penalties that stripped his Monaco podium, a decision that Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore publicly criticised. Alpine, sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, entered the weekend with a recent aerodynamic upgrade and a Mercedes power unit, but few expected it to challenge the front-running Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull packages.

The Guardian

• Pole time: 1:21.786 (Q3) – 0.060 s ahead of Russell.

Pierre Gasly Takes Pole For 2026 Italian Grand Prix At Monza, Beating George Russell And Oscar Piastri: 27 outlets compared

• Top-10 grid: 1 Gasly (Alpine), 2 Russell (Mercedes), 3 Oscar Piastri* (McLaren), 4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 7 Kimi Antonelli* (Mercedes, will start from the back), 8 Franco Colapinto (Alpine), 9 Lando Norris (McLaren), 10 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls).

The IndependentThe GuardianBBC NewsItalian GP Qualifying: Pierre Gasly claims shock first pole position to beat George Russell to head of Monza grid for Alpine 2026 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying Pierre Gasly after his sensational pole: “What is it with Monza and me?” WTNH - New Haven NewsPierre Gasly grabs stunning pole for Italian GP from Russell and Piastri

• Historical note: First Alpine pole since the team’s Renault era in 2009 (17-year gap).

Gasly breaks 17-year Alpine/Renault pole drought at Italian GP

• Driver milestone: Gasly’s first pole after nine years in F1 and his 190th Grand Prix start.

Pierre Gasly drops F-bomb after emotional Italian GP Pole

\* Piastri received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson; Antonelli will start from the back after a power-unit change.

F1 Italian GP: Pierre Gasly takes shock maiden pole at Monza

Briatore’s allegation that an ICA judge was “linked with McLaren” prompted a rebuttal from the FIA International Court of Appeal, which affirmed that the judges were appointed according to FIA procedures and that Alpine had not raised objections during the hearing.

The Irish TimesThe GuardianItalian GP: Can Pierre Gasly win Monza race for Alpine just days after losing Monaco podium? The extraordinary timeline of Pierre Gasly's unbelievable Italian GP pole position The IndependentGasly breaks 17-year Alpine/Renault pole drought at Italian GP BBC NewsPierre Gasly drops F-bomb after emotional Italian GP Pole

• “It's been nine years trying to chase the opportunity to get a pole,” — Pierre Gasly

Reuters

• “Firstly, massive congrats to Pierre because that’s incredible performance,” — George Russell

Pierre Gasly grabs stunning pole for Italian GP from Russell and Piastri

• “You always need to take everybody seriously. They (Alpine) have a huge amount of straight-line speed. They’ve taken away a lot of drag and on a single lap, that proved to be what is necessary,” — Toto Wolff

Reuters

• September 5: Qualifying – Gasly tops Q1, places fourth in Q2, and clinches pole in Q3.

The National News

• September 6: Race day – front-row start for Gasly and Russell; the grid settles after penalties are applied.

WTNH - New Haven News