{"id":881764,"date":"2026-09-06T05:58:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T05:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/881764\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T05:58:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T05:58:20","slug":"pierre-gasly-takes-shock-pole-for-f1-italian-gp-as-alpine-stun-big-guns-formula-one-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/881764\/","title":{"rendered":"Pierre Gasly takes shock pole for F1 Italian GP as Alpine stun big guns | Formula One 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pierre Gasly has run the gamut from bitter disappointment to absolute elation in the past two days, and there is surely no better pick-me-up than claiming an extraordinary first Formula One<\/a> pole position at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, one of the sport\u2019s greatest venues.<\/p>\n

What it meant to the Frenchman was clear. \u201cNine years I\u2019ve been in Formula One, I\u2019m trying to give my best every single weekend. It\u2019s not every time we get a car to fight for pole position,\u201d he said. \u201cToday was the case. I\u2019m really happy, really proud to have seized this chance and made it work. It was a hell of a lap.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Gasly and Alpine were told his third place at the Monaco Grand Prix had been overturned by the FIA\u2019s international court of appeal (ICA), after McLaren and Red Bull had taken the case there. Gasly had been stripped of his podium and it hurt; indeed led to Alpine\u2019s executive adviser, Flavio Briatore, making extraordinary allegations of pro-McLaren bias by one of the ICA judges.<\/p>\n

The allegations were addressed by the ICA on Saturday but the response Gasly would have wanted most was on track, and he and Alpine delivered to perfection. Steve Nielsen, the Alpine managing director, perhaps best expressed what it meant. \u201cWe were all on the floor. It\u2019s from being really down to being on top of the world in just two days,\u201d he said. \u201cPierre is a class act: if you give him the machine, he will deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old Frenchman, who lives nearby in Milan, has finally taken the top spot at his 190th meeting, during his ninth full season in F1. They have waited a long time in France too, with 29 years passing since Jean Alesi was the last Frenchman to take pole at Monza. With pleasing symmetry, he was driving for Benetton, the Enstone-based team that would ultimately become Alpine.<\/p>\n

Quick GuideItalian F1 GP qualifying resultsShow<\/p>\n

1 Pierre Gasly \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Alpine\u00a0 1:21.876
2 George Russell \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 Mercedes 1:21.846
\u20203 Oscar Piastri \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa McLaren 1:21.966
4 Charles Leclerc \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udde8 Ferrari 1:22.004
5 Lewis Hamilton \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 Ferrari 1:22.011
6 Max Verstappen \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1 Red Bull 1:22.070
*7 Kimi Antonelli \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9 Mercedes 1:22.093
8 Franco Colapinto \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf7 Alpine 1:22.220
9 Lando Norris \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 McLaren 1:22.256
10 Arvid Lindblad \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 Racing Bulls 1:22.286<\/p>\n

Q2 eliminations
11 Gabriel Bortoleto \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7 Audi 1:22.517
12 Oliver Bearman \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 Haas 1:22.756
13 Nico H\u00fclkenberg \ud83c\udde9\ud83c\uddea Audi 1:22.779
*14 Liam Lawson \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Red Bull 1:22.821
15 Carlos Sainz \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8 Williams 1:23.453
16 Esteban Ocon \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 Haas 1:23.454<\/p>\n

Q1 eliminations
17 Yuki Tsunoda \ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf5 Racing Bulls 1:23.755
*18 Alexander Albon \ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\udded Williams 1:24.356
19 Valtteri Bottas \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee Cadillac 1:24.364
20 Sergio P\u00e9rez \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd Cadillac 1:24.595
21 Fernando Alonso \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8 Aston Martin 1:25.150
22 Lance Stroll \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 Aston Martin 1:25.22<\/p>\n

\u2020 Piastri given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lawson. *Antonelli, Lawson and Albon all relegated to the back of the grid for taking new power unit elements<\/p>\n

Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n

On a high-speed blast at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza the margins are tiny, and finding the very limit vital; indeed Gasly\u2019s margin over the second-placed Mercedes of George Russell was just six-hundredths of a second. Gasly was on a knife-edge but inch perfect to secure what was also Alpine\u2019s first pole. It represents a huge result for the team who are sixth in the world championship and have not been close to vying with the front four constructors this season.<\/p>\n

In a very tightly fought contest, the McLaren of Oscar Piastri was third fastest, but he was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were in fourth and fifth, with the latter saying he thought his title chance might be slipping away. Lando Norris \u2013 the defending world champion and winner of the past two races \u2013 was in ninth.<\/p>\n

Russell, who had been favourite to take the top spot was disappointed but took it well, admitting it was the second time that day Gasly had bested him. \u201cWe were actually playing a game of chess about 15 minutes before qualifying,\u201d he said. \u201cHe beat me there and I thought: \u2018Well, I think I\u2019ll beat you in qualifying,\u2019 and here we are, he\u2019s ahead of me again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although he took seventh place, the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, will start in 20th having taken a full set of new engine components, with Mercedes opting to do so at Monza because of the ample scope for overtaking at the circuit. They are hopeful he might come back to as high as fifth place, while Russell will be intent on making back a decent haul of points against his teammate. Antonelli leads Russell and Hamilton by 59 points.<\/p>\n

But the day belonged to Gasly and the Frenchman has shown form at Monza before, taking his only win here in 2020 in a race influenced by a well-timed pit stop and Hamilton, the pole-sitter, receiving a penalty. This pole was earned entirely on merit, but with the Mercedes likely to be formidable on race pace converting it will be a huge task, though doubtless not one from which the Frenchman will shirk.<\/p>\n

On Thursday Pierre Gasly was stripped of his third-place finish in Monaco. Two days later he earned his first pole position. Photograph: Antonio Calanni\/AP<\/p>\n

Before qualifying, the ICA issued a stern rebuttal to Briatore\u2019s allegations. His comments alleged a judge, whom he named, had acted as a \u201cprosecutor\u201d and said: \u201cThe reason why so nasty, this guy. He is very linked with McLaren.\u201d It prompted a fierce row, with the McLaren principal, Andrea Stella, dismissing the comments as \u201cinsulting\u201d to his team.<\/p>\n

The ICA, which acts independently of the FIA, pointedly noted that Alpine had every chance to question the appointment of the judges but did not do so and that they were carefully selected.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt both the beginning and conclusion of the hearing, the parties were invited to raise any issue concerning the proceedings or the composition of the court,\u201d the statement said. \u201cNone did so. No objection was raised during the hearing concerning the manner in which the court questioned the witness or conducted the proceedings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FIA courts wish to make clear that the appointment and participation of the judges in that case, like for any other case, were conducted in accordance with the applicable FIA judicial procedures and usual practice, which are inspired by the highest standards like the International Bar Association guidelines on conflicts of interest in international arbitration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are all subject to the independence and confidentiality requirements contained in the FIA judicial and disciplinary rules, make annual disclosures of interests to the FIA compliance officer, and sign a specific declaration of independence for each particular case in consideration of the issue at stake and the parties involved, which is served to the parties.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pierre Gasly has run the gamut from bitter disappointment to absolute elation in the past two days, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":881765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-881764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}