Pierre Gasly clinches pole at Italian Grand Prix, edging George Russell
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly secured pole position for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, finishing 0.060 seconds ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, while a grid penalty will see Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli start from the back.
Pierre Gasly of Alpine posted the fastest lap in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, beating Mercedes driver George Russell by 0.060 seconds. Oscar Piastri completed the top three, with Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fourth and fifth respectively. Max Verstappen qualified sixth and Lando Norris ninth after a difficult session.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who qualified seventh, will start from the back of the grid after receiving a 30-place penalty for a new engine. Antonelli had been used to provide a tow for Russell during the session, but the strategy did not yield the expected advantage.
"Going into Parabolica, Max just slammed on the brakes and didn't want to be the lead car," Russell said, adding that starting from second place was still a solid result.
Gasly, who won his first race at Monza in 2020, described the performance as "amazing" and noted that the car felt strong from the first qualifying segment. The pole marks the first time a French driver has led a Grand Prix qualifying at Monza since 1997.
Piastri’s third-place finish follows a challenging period for the Australian, though he locked up at the first chicane on his final run, which also affected Norris’s pace. Ferrari’s upgraded engine did not translate into front-row positions; Leclerc and Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, with Hamilton edging his teammate by 0.007 seconds.
The session also saw Hamilton narrowly avoid elimination from the final qualifying round by 0.001 seconds, after a rival driver failed to displace him.