Pierre Gasly delivered a stunning performance to claim the first pole position of his Formula 1 career at the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, beating Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in a dramatic Qualifying session at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

On the circuit where he famously claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory in 2020, Gasly produced a remarkable final Q3 lap of 1m21.786s to snatch top spot by just 0.060s from Russell. Piastri was a further 0.120s back in third, while the entire top 10 was covered by only half a second.

The result marked a memorable afternoon for Alpine, with Gasly consistently featuring at the sharp end throughout the session and team mate Franco Colapinto also making it through to the pole position shoot-out.

When Q1 got under way, several drivers were already facing difficult Sundays ahead, with Kimi Antonelli, Alexander Albon and Liam Lawson set to take grid penalties following power unit changes.

The opening runs brought an early benchmark from Verstappen, before the Ferraris and McLarens joined the action. However, it was Gasly who soon made his presence felt, the Alpine driver setting a 1m22.612s to move to the top of the timesheets.

Colapinto also impressed as Alpine's strong pace became increasingly clear, while Antonelli and Russell moved into the top five. Russell notably completed his early effort on medium tyres rather than the soft compound.

As the session entered its closing stages, the battle to escape elimination intensified. Gasly's earlier lap proved good enough to remain fastest, ahead of Verstappen, Norris, Colapinto and an impressive Lindblad.

There were concerns, however, at McLaren. Norris reported significant difficulties under braking, particularly into the first chicane, while Piastri also experienced similar problems on his way through the opening segment.

At the other end of the order, Tsunoda was eliminated in 17th, having struggled to put together a clean lap. Albon also exited, along with the Cadillac pairing of Bottas and Perez and the Aston Martin duo of Alonso and Stroll.

Q2 brought further drama, with Red Bull among the first teams to send their drivers out. Verstappen set an early benchmark but quickly reported problems with the rear of his car, describing it as difficult to drive through several of Monza's key corners.

Once the rest of the field had completed their initial attempts, Piastri led the way with Norris close behind and Gasly again firmly in contention. Russell and Antonelli followed, while Hamilton found himself outside the top 10 and facing a nervous final run.

The Ferrari driver responded under pressure. With just one opportunity remaining to secure his place in Q3, Hamilton improved sufficiently to progress – but only by the narrowest of margins.

The seven-time World Champion ultimately edged Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto by just 0.001s, with the Brazilian therefore missing out on a place in the final segment. Bearman, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Sainz and Ocon were also eliminated.

Antonelli topped Q2 with a lap of 1m21.882s, ahead of the McLaren pair, Gasly and Russell, although his impending grid penalty meant his strong qualifying position would not translate directly into Sunday's starting order.

For Q3, Russell was given assistance by his Mercedes team mate, with Antonelli providing a slipstream that helped the Briton to set the pace after the opening runs. Russell's 1m21.929s put him narrowly ahead of Piastri and Gasly, with Leclerc leading the Ferraris in fourth. But the decisive final attempts transformed the picture.

Piastri ran wide at the first chicane as he began his final lap, while Norris was unable to improve. Behind them, however, Gasly produced a superb sequence of sectors to put himself firmly in contention for pole.

The Frenchman crossed the line in 1m21.786s, jumping both Piastri and Russell to claim a sensational maiden pole position.

Gasly's achievement came six years after his breakthrough Formula 1 victory at the same venue, adding another remarkable chapter to his history at the Temple of Speed.

Russell had to settle for second despite improving on his final effort, while Piastri completed the top three. Leclerc and Hamilton gave Ferrari fourth and fifth on home soil, ahead of Verstappen in sixth. Antonelli qualified seventh but will drop down the grid following his penalty, elevating Colapinto, Norris and Lindblad from their respective positions behind

2026 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix – Qualifying 
1 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:21.786 - -
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:21.846 0.060 0.073
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:21.966 0.180 0.220
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:22.004 0.218 0.267
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:22.011 0.225 0.275
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:22.070 0.284 0.347
7 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:22.093 0.307 0.375
8 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:22.220 0.434 0.531
9 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:22.256 0.470 0.575
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:22.286 0.500 0.611
11 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:22.517 0.731 0.894
12 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:22.756 0.970 1.186
13 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:22.779 0.993 1.214
14 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:22.821 1.035 1.265
15 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:23.453 1.667 2.038
16 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:23.454 1.668 2.039
17 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:23.755 1.969 2.408
18 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:24.356 2.570 3.142
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:24.364 2.578 3.152
20 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:24.595 2.809 3.435
21 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:25.150 3.364 4.113
22 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:25.222 3.436 4.201