Gasly’s Monza Moment: A First Pole Where It All Began
As the Italian Grand Prix weekend reached its decisive qualifying session, Monza delivered one of those Formula 1 moments nobody saw coming. Pierre Gasly will start from pole position for the first time in his Formula 1 career, producing a stunning lap to put Alpine ahead of George Russell by just 0.060 seconds.
And there is something particularly fitting about where it happened. Monza is the circuit where Gasly took his first and, so far, only Formula 1 victory, when he stunned the field in the extraordinary 2020 Italian Grand Prix. Six years later, he has returned to the same circuit to create another career-defining moment, only this time, from the very front of the grid.
The day had been building towards a close fight. Russell had looked like one of the drivers to beat through practice, while Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull were all expected to be in the conversation. But when it mattered most, Gasly and Alpine found something extraordinary. In a qualifying session where tiny margins separated the frontrunners, his final effort was enough to beat them all.
Behind him, Russell secured second, with Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc completing the second row. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were next, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh but will start from the back of the grid following his engine penalty.
For Gasly, though, Saturday was about something much bigger than the championship battle. Just days after the disappointment of losing his Monaco podium following the International Court of Appeal's decision, he has produced perhaps the perfect response: his first Formula 1 pole position, at the circuit that gave him his first victory.
Now comes the next question. Can Monza give Pierre Gasly another unforgettable Sunday, and perhaps a second Formula 1 victory?