Pierre Gasly takes a surprising pole position for the Italian Grand Prix, edging out George Russell to take the top spot at Monza.
The 2020 race winner was extremely fast during all three segments of qualifying and to see Gasly go quickest and take P1 is pure joy for fans of motorsport.
On the scene of his maiden race victory, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has written another chapter in his Formula 1 career by claiming his first-ever pole.
In a thrilling Q3 shootout, Gasly edged out pre-session favourite George Russell by a mere 0.060 seconds to deny the Mercedes driver a fifth pole of the year and take Alpine to the top of the timesheets.
Russell initially was the quickest with a time of one minute, 21.929 seconds, ahead of Oscar Piastri, Gasly and Charles Leclerc.
With the entire top ten covered by less than two tenths, getting optimal track position to benefit from a slipstream being highly important, with Russell had an advantage thanks to Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli is set to start on the last row due to an engine penalty, so the championship leader was asked to tow Russell around the 5.8km circuit.
But Gasly played the tow to perfection by grabbing a slipstream from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, and delivered an outstanding lap to jump Russell.
Piastri and Leclerc were fourth and fifth, followed by Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Antonelli was seventh but will lose that position on the grid, promoting Franco Colapinto to seventh.
Norris was a disappointed ninth after not being able to grab a slipstream from teammate Piastri, who went off in Turn 1. In doing so, Oscar ruined his own lap and left Lando punching a hole in the air by himself. Piastri and Norris had both struggled under brakes in Turn 1, and Piastri is also expected to be investigated for blocking Liam Lawson.
Following post qualifying, the race stewards handed Piastri a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lawson during his flying lap. So Lelcerc is promoted an extra spot on the second row.
Arvid Lindblad qualified P10 and will move up to ninth as a result of Antonelli’s penalty.
The first series of Q2 runs left Ferrari’s Hamilton in the elimation zone, appearing to catch traffic at the wrong time on his run, which left the seven-time world champion with a lot of work to do on his final run.
With Leclerc also under pressure in ninth, neither teammate was in a position to help the each other. Leclerc was unable to improve his lap, but Hamilton did manage to recover half a tenth out of the SF-26, demoting Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto by a tiny 0.001 seconds margin.
Bortoleto was followed out by Oliver Bearman, who used an upgraded Haas car and power unit to take P12. Lawson was eliminated in P13, denying Red Bull a chance to give Verstappen a tow in Q3.
Lawson, who replaces the injured Isack Hadjar for the second consecutive weekend, will join Antonelli at the back of the grid with an engine penalty.
Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon also exited the session at the end of Q2.
In Q1, which was surprisingly headed by Gasly ahead of Verstappen and Norris, with Racing Bull’s replacement driver Yuki Tsunoda, who stood in for Lawson.
Tsunoda was on the wrong end of the cut-off in P17 after unable to deliver a clean lap, allowing Williams driver Sainz to escape to Q2 by 0.139 seconds.
Sainz’s teammate Alex Albon also played a role by handing the Carlos a crucial tow on the straight while Alex was down in P18.
Cadillac defeated Aston Martin at the bottom of the order, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez comfortably ahead of a struggling Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Alonso was unable to complete a final run due to a Honda power unit problem.
Aston Martin will not start on the last row of the grid, however, with Lawson and Antonelli following their engine change penalties.
So a surprising and yet welcome news to see Pierre Gasly in pole position. Following the news that the sport’s governing body, the FIA, reinstated the Monaco race result meaning Alpine lost a P3 finish following the hearing from McLaren and Red Bull, it was redemption to have Alpine starting in P1 at Monza.
Italian Grand Prix, qualifying results:
1 Pierre Gasly Alpine-Mercedes 1:21.786
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:21.846
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:22.004
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:22.011
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull-Ford 1:22.070
6 Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.966**
7 Franco Colapinto Alpine-Mercedes 1:22.220
8 Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.256
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls-Ford 1:22.286
10 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:22.517
11 Oliver Bearman Haas-Ferrari 1:22.756
12 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:22.779
13 Carlos Sainz Williams-Mercedes 1:23.453
14 Esteban Ocon Haas-Ferrari 1:23.454
15 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls-Ford 1:23.755
16 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac-Ferrari 1:24.364
17 Sergio Perez Cadillac-Ferrari 1:24.595
18 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin-Honda 1:25.150
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Honda 1:25.222
20 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:22.093*
21 Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1:24.356*
22 Liam Lawson Red Bull-Ford 1:22.821*
*Grid penalty following power unit changes
**Three-place grid drop for impeding
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly earned a brilliant first-ever F1 pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, edging out Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in a pulsating Qualifying session around the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
Gasly, who claimed his maiden F1 win at the Temple of Speed back in 2020, featured towards the front of the times throughout Saturday’s Qualifying hour, as the Frenchman and his recently updated, Mercedes-powered car shone.
Sitting third to Russell and Piastri after the opening Q3 runs, Gasly sent shockwaves through the paddock when he pumped in a time of 1m 21.786s on his final lap – launching ahead of his Mercedes and McLaren rivals in the process.
Behind them, Ferrari’s practice form faded and resulted in P4 and P5 for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, with Max Verstappen sixth for Red Bull and home racer Kimi Antonelli seventh in the other Silver Arrow, prior to taking his engine penalty.
Franco Colapinto made it two cars in the final phase for Alpine, as the re-signed Argentinian placed eighth, ahead of Lando Norris (who, like team mate Piastri, struggled with his brakes throughout Qualifying) and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad.
Hamilton’s place in Q3 was secured by the finest of margins, with Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto only one thousandth of a second slower across their final Q2 runs, leaving the Brazilian 11th on the grid from Ollie Bearman’s upgraded Haas-Ferrari and team mate Nico Hulkenberg.
Liam Lawson, also taking a grid drop for a power unit change this weekend, ended Qualifying down in 14th position, having been impeded by Piastri on his final Q2 lap, in an incident the stewards noted.
After his encouraging performance at the Dutch Grand Prix last time out, Yuki Tsunoda’s second weekend as a Racing Bulls stand-in is proving to be more challenging – the Japanese racer falling at the first Qualifying hurdle in 17th, while Lindblad placed fifth.
Another driver with an engine-related grid penalty, Alexander Albon played the team game by giving a Q1 tow to Sainz, putting the Briton 18th, ahead of only Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, and the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/gasly-charges-to-sensational-maiden-f1-pole-at-monza-over-russell-and-piastri.4CKkkbvgmqL04ijMNBfuXF
“I like this track,” Gasly quipped as he steered his Alpine into parc ferme. Not into the usual enclosure for the rest of the pack, but towards the bollard indicating the number 1 on the Formula 1 grid.
Six years ago, Gasly took his hitherto only career win in Monza at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrating on a desolate podium overseeing empty grandstands. Not so on Saturday, where Gasly was able salute the crowd, his crew and his ecstatic parents.
“Let’s go, let’s go! I’ve been waiting for that one!” he yelled into his radio as he was informed by his race engineer of his fate, while his Alpine garage crew morphed into a sea of limbs.
If his AlphaTauri win in 2020 came as a total surprise, though aided by the circumstances, then defeating the might of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren at the Temple of Speed in a straight shootout was even more unexpected.
Gasly had already been an impressive third after the first set of runs, but didn’t stop there. On the final run, he leapfrogged both George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by finding a tow from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to claim pole by a mere 0.060s, making the most of Alpine’s powerful Mercedes power unit around Monza’s high-speed layout.
“From the first lap in Q1, I felt very good in the car, trying to chip away a little bit every single session. It felt like a very good lap,” the Frenchman explained.
“I am so happy, it’s been nine years trying to chase and get the opportunity to get a pole position. To win my first race in Monza, get my first pole on this track, I think it’s something special around here.
Pre-event favourite Russell was initially shocked to hear he had been pipped by Gasly but was quick to praise the 30-year-old afterwards. “Massive congratulations to Pierre, because that’s an incredible performance,” Russell said.
“We actually finished a game of chess 15 minutes before qualifying and he beat me there, and I thought: ‘I think I’ll beat you in qualifying’. And here we are, he’s ahead of me again.
“I was disappointed not to get the pole position, it was a bit messy with [Max] Verstappen opening the lap, I did the lap super close. But Pierre and Alpine have been super fast, even from Q1.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/pierre-gasly-ecstatic-with-maiden-f1-pole-in-monza-he-chased-for-nine-years/10852602/
Oscar Piastri has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix after impeding Liam Lawson during qualifying at Monza. The penalty drops the McLaren driver from third to sixth on the grid for Sunday’s race, promoting Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen by one position each.
The incident occurred in the dying moments of Q2, as Lawson – competing in his second Red Bull race of the year as a replacement for the injured Isack Hadjar – was on his final flying lap.
Piastri was on an out-lap approaching the first chicane and slowed to allow Lawson’s Red Bull team-mate Verstappen through, with Red Bull having sent its drivers out earlier.
But the McLaren driver then slotted in ahead of Lawson through the chicane, delaying the New Zealander on the exit of the corner leading onto Curva Grande.
“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 81 (Oscar Piastri), the driver of Car 30 (Liam Lawson), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence,” the FIA decision reads. “On leaving the pits, the driver of Car 81 was advised that “Verstappen, Lawson and Sainz just crossing, Sainz has pitted. Just Verstappen and Lawson, watch out for them as you join”. The driver of Car 81 stated that he was not alerted to the fact that VER and LAW were on push laps but realised as he was almost at turn 1 that VER was on a push lap. He slowed significantly and kept to the right to allow VER to pass but was unable to do anything to avoid impeding LAW who was close behind.
“The Stewards accept that with the information he had, and the situation he was placed in, the driver of Car 81 had, at this stage, no other options available and hence, inadvertently, and also unnecessarily, impeded Car 30.
“Therefore the standard penalty of a drop of 3 grid positions is imposed.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/oscar-piastri-risks-losing-third-in-monza-qualifying/10852593/
Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen has set out the team’s ambition to “try and win it” at the Italian Grand Prix after Pierre Gasly claimed an impressive pole position for the Enstone-based squad.
Having displayed strong pace throughout Qualifying – which saw him lead the timesheets in Q1 – Gasly managed to go fastest of all during the final segment to score his maiden pole in Formula 1, six years on from his debut victory at the same circuit.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 following the session, Nielsen praised the team for handling the busy track conditions well and successfully carrying out tows for Gasly and team mate Franco Colapinto.
“We put a big upgrade on Pierre’s car in Zandvoort. That’s also on Franco’s car here,” said Nielsen. “I don’t think we quite got the best out of the package in Zandvoort – it’s a bit of a quirky circuit, but we’ve come here and the car is responding very well.
“We got the gaps right, we got the tows right. The drivers didn’t make a mistake, and the lap time’s clearly in the car, because both cars were quite quick.
“[The difference of a tow is] pretty big. A couple of tenths either way here is the difference between several places. If you get the tow, it’s important.”
Nielsen went on to praise the performance of Gasly, hailing the 30-year-old as a “class act”.
“If you give him the machine, he’ll deliver,” the Briton said. “We failed to do that a few times last year, and we haven’t always given him the most competitive machinery this year, but when we have, he’s delivered, particularly earlier in the season.
“So to see the team bounce back, to see him deliver on a track he knows well – he lives locally, he lives in Milan – it’s wonderful. And of course, we mustn’t forget Franco either. He did a great job today, so I really feel we’ve given them a good car, and who knows, anything’s possible tomorrow.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/alpine-targeting-monza-win-as-team-react-to-class-act-gasly-claiming-pole-position.56KmlrAXqTURL57SepFqdj
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton admit that Ferrari failed to execute a good enough strategy during Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, with the pair only achieving P4 and P5 respectively.
With the slipstream at Monza proving pivotal, teams and drivers tried to work in unison to give themselves a shot at pole position ahead of Sunday’s 53-lap race.
But the Scuderia failed to deliver in front of their home fans, as both Leclerc and Hamilton found themselves two tenths adrift of surprise polesitter, Pierre Gasly.
The pair had been fortunate to even reach the final stage of Qualifying, as both were left on the cusp of Q2 elimination, with Hamilton only squeezing through by 0.001s over Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi.
“A very tough session, just in terms of getting consistency and ultimately we didn’t do it, I think. Didn’t execute that well,” said Hamilton.
“My first lap felt really good in Q1 and I stopped to save the tyre, and then went into Q2 and I was meant to do a push-cool-cool-push.
“But because Charles didn’t want to go out, they just delayed, delayed, so I only got one push and yeah, that was basically the whole session.”
Leclerc admitted that the session had been messy in general, as well as having a technical issue which put himself and the team on the back foot.
“We’ve had way too many problems. Unfortunately, Q2 we had a big problem with the battery which then we understood, we kind of fixed for Q3, but just a messy session,” he said.
“When you want to go and get the last hundredths, we need to be perfect as a team and we haven’t been, so we need look at what’s going on.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/didnt-execute-that-well-hamilton-and-leclerc-critical-of-ferraris-strategy-in-italian-grand-prix-qualifying.uLiF59lxkEcREIgqynnFg