2026 Italian GP Qualifying: Gasly stuns Monza with maiden F1 pole

Pierre Gasly produced one of the standout qualifying performances of the season at Monza, taking the first pole position of his Formula 1 career for Alpine ahead of George Russell and Oscar Piastri. The Frenchman delivered when it mattered most in Q3, setting a 1m 21.786s on his final run to leap from third to first and put Alpine at the front of the grid for the Italian Grand Prix.

It was a remarkable result at a circuit that already holds a special place in Gasly’s career. He claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory at Monza in 2020, and six years later returned to the Temple of Speed to secure his first pole position in the sport. Russell came within 0.060s of denying him, the Mercedes driver taking second with a 1m 21.846s, while Piastri placed third for McLaren on a 1m 21.966s, 0.180s off pole.

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Ferrari’s hopes of converting its strong practice form into a home pole faded in the final phase. Charles Leclerc could manage fourth on a 1m 22.004s, with Lewis Hamilton just 0.007s further back in fifth on a 1m 22.011s. For a weekend already carrying major implications for the 2026 F1 World Championship, the grid has been reshaped further by penalties and mixed fortunes among the leading title contenders.

2026 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying Results

2026 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying, 5 September 2026

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:22.612	1:22.077	1:21.786	18
2	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:22.779	1:22.161	1:21.846	17
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:22.924	1:22.017	1:21.966	18
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:22.902	1:22.509	1:22.004	18
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:22.847	1:22.516	1:22.011	15
6	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:22.631	1:22.188	1:22.070	17
7	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:22.758	1:21.882	1:22.093	18
8	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:22.662	1:22.400	1:22.220	18
9	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:22.659	1:22.067	1:22.256	19
10	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:22.727	1:22.345	1:22.286	18
11	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:22.946	1:22.517		12
12	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:22.906	1:22.756		15
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:23.440	1:22.779		12
14	30	Liam Lawson	Red Bull Racing	1:22.989	1:22.821		17
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:23.616	1:23.453		15
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:23.466	1:23.454		15
17	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Racing Bulls	1:23.755			6
18	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:24.356			6
19	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	1:24.364			9
20	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	1:24.595			9
21	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:25.150			6
22	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:25.222			9

Gasly delivers when Q3 pressure peaks

Gasly had looked competitive throughout the hour, helped by an Alpine package that has taken a clear step forward since its recent update and by the added strength of its Mercedes power unit around Monza’s long straights.

After the first runs in Q3, however, it was Russell and Piastri ahead of him.

The Alpine driver sat third and needed a significant improvement on his final attempt.

He found exactly that.

Gasly committed through the final run and stopped the clock at 1m 21.786s, a lap quick enough to overturn the order and send a shock through the Monza paddock.

Russell responded but could not quite reclaim top spot, finishing 0.060s adrift.

Piastri also improved but remained third, leaving Alpine, Mercedes and McLaren occupying the first three positions.

It was not only Gasly flying the flag for Alpine.

Franco Colapinto also reached Q3 and qualified eighth, giving the team two cars inside the top 10 and underlining the strength of its Saturday performance.

Ferrari falls short after promising practice pace

Ferrari entered qualifying with genuine expectations after a strong run through the practice sessions.

Leclerc topped FP1, while Hamilton and the Monegasque both featured prominently across Friday and Saturday.

That pace did not fully translate into the fight for pole.

Leclerc’s best of 1m 22.004s left him fourth, just over two tenths away from Gasly, while Hamilton followed in fifth.

The margins between the two Ferraris were tiny, with only 0.007s separating them.

It still gives the Scuderia two cars near the front for its home Grand Prix, but the result will feel like an opportunity missed after the level of performance shown earlier in the weekend.

Max Verstappen was sixth for Red Bull.

The Dutchman had struggled with the balance and downforce level of the car in Friday practice before showing signs of improvement in FP3, but he could not convert that progress into a front-row challenge.

Antonelli qualifies seventh before grid penalty

Kimi Antonelli ended the session seventh in the second Mercedes.

The Italian had shown strong pace throughout the weekend and finished just behind Verstappen in final practice, but his qualifying position comes with an important caveat.

Antonelli is set to take an engine-related grid penalty, meaning he will fall towards the back of the starting order despite reaching Q3.

That makes his qualifying performance largely academic in terms of Sunday’s grid slot, although it again demonstrated the speed available from Mercedes.

For the championship leader, the emphasis will now shift to damage limitation in the race and recovering as many positions as possible.

Colapinto joins Gasly in Q3

Alpine’s pace was reinforced by Colapinto’s eighth place.

The Argentinian, recently retained by the team, successfully navigated both Q1 and Q2 before securing a place in the final 10.

He qualified ahead of Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad, who completed the Q3 field in ninth and 10th respectively.

Norris endured a more difficult qualifying session than expected.

Both McLarens struggled with braking performance during the hour, although Piastri was able to extract enough pace to qualify on the second row.

Norris, by contrast, could manage only ninth, a result that leaves him with significantly more work to do on Sunday.

Lindblad continued an impressive Monza weekend for Racing Bulls by reaching Q3 and taking 10th.

Hamilton survives Q2 by one thousandth

One of the defining margins of the session came at the end of Q2.

Hamilton’s progression into Q3 was secured by the smallest possible advantage.

Gabriel Bortoleto missed out by just 0.001s, leaving the Audi driver 11th while Hamilton scraped through in 10th at the cut.

The Brazilian therefore heads the drivers eliminated in Q2.

Ollie Bearman qualified 12th in the upgraded Haas-Ferrari, continuing a solid weekend for the British rookie.

Nico Hulkenberg took 13th in the second Audi.

Liam Lawson followed in 14th for Red Bull, with his own weekend complicated by a power-unit grid penalty.

Lawson was also unhappy after being impeded by Piastri on his final lap.

The incident was noted by the stewards, adding another talking point to a qualifying hour where traffic and positioning again played a significant role.

Tsunoda exits in Q1 as Racing Bulls split

Yuki Tsunoda’s second consecutive weekend deputising for Racing Bulls proved much tougher than his encouraging Dutch Grand Prix appearance.

The Japanese driver was eliminated in Q1 and qualified 17th.

That contrasted sharply with team-mate Lindblad, who progressed all the way to Q3 and at one stage sat fifth.

The difference between the two highlighted just how fine the margins were through the field at Monza.

Albon sacrifices lap for Sainz tow

Williams also leaned heavily on teamwork during the opening phase.

Alex Albon, who is carrying his own engine-related grid penalty, played the support role by providing a tow for team-mate Carlos Sainz in Q1.

The tactic left Albon down in 18th, but the team’s focus was clearly on helping Sainz progress.

It was another example of how the grid penalties affecting multiple drivers altered the strategic priorities of qualifying.

At the very back, both Cadillac cars struggled.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were among the slowest drivers in the session, while Aston Martin endured an equally difficult afternoon.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were also eliminated early, leaving both Aston Martins near the rear of the field.

What Gasly’s pole means for Sunday

Gasly’s lap is the defining story of qualifying.

To beat Russell by 0.060s and Piastri by 0.180s at Monza is a major statement for both driver and team, particularly given Alpine’s recent progress with its updated car.

It also creates a fascinating front row.

Russell has been one of the quickest drivers all weekend and now lines up alongside Gasly with a genuine opportunity to attack into the first chicane.

Piastri starts directly behind them in third, giving McLaren a strong strategic platform despite the brake issues that affected both cars.

Ferrari remains close enough to influence the fight, with Leclerc fourth and Hamilton fifth in front of the Tifosi.

Verstappen sits sixth and will be another obvious threat if Red Bull’s race pace proves stronger than its qualifying position suggests.

Antonelli’s seventh place will be heavily altered by his engine penalty, while Lawson and Albon are also set to move back for power-unit changes.

That means the final grid will differ from the raw qualifying order and could create opportunities for several drivers further down the field.

Gasly, though, has earned the right to start at the head of them all.

Six years after his breakthrough victory at Monza, he will lead the Italian Grand Prix field away from pole position for the first time in his Formula 1 career.