Gasly Stuns Monza With Sensational Italian Grand Prix Pole as Russell Misses Out by 0.060s

Pierre Gasly produced one of the biggest qualifying shocks of the 2026 Formula One season at Monza, snatching pole position from George Russell in the final seconds of Q3. Oscar Piastri secured third, Ferrari locked out the third row, while Gabriel Bortoleto missed Q3 by just one thousandth of a second.

By Open Chronicle News Desk with Agencies

Pierre Gasly delivered a remarkable final lap to claim pole position for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, beating George Russell by just 0.060 seconds in a dramatic qualifying session at Monza.

The Alpine driver stopped the clock at 1:21.786 on his final attempt in Q3, overturning a Mercedes advantage that had looked secure for much of the session.

Russell had been the dominant figure through practice, topping both FP2 and FP3, and appeared on course to complete the weekend with pole after improving to 1:21.846 on his final run.

Gasly had other ideas.

The Frenchman produced a near perfect lap at the decisive moment, taking Alpine to the front of the grid and delivering one of the standout performances of the season.

Oscar Piastri qualified third for McLaren, Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton fifth.

Max Verstappen ended the session sixth, ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, Franco Colapinto, Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad.

Gabriel Bortoleto missed Q3 by the smallest possible margin, finishing 11th after losing the final place in the top ten to Hamilton by 0.001 seconds.

Qualifying Facts

Event: 2026 Italian Grand Prix
Round: 13
Circuit: Monza
Pole Position: Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pole Time: 1:21.786
Second: George Russell, Mercedes, +0.060
Third: Oscar Piastri, McLaren, +0.180
Top Ferrari: Charles Leclerc, fourth
Gabriel Bortoleto: 11th, missed Q3 by 0.001

Russell Arrived as the Favourite

Mercedes entered qualifying as the team carrying the clearest momentum.

Russell had led FP2 on Friday and topped FP3 only hours before qualifying with a 1:22.219.

Hamilton had finished final practice 0.226 seconds behind him, while Verstappen, Antonelli, Norris and Leclerc were all within half a second.

That suggested a close fight, but Russell remained the reference.

Monza, however, is rarely a circuit where outright pace alone decides qualifying.

Slipstreaming plays a major role.

The long straights reward drivers who can position themselves behind another car, while poor timing can leave a contender compromised by traffic.

Mercedes, Ferrari and Audi had all rehearsed tow strategies during FP3.

Those rehearsals would become crucial in qualifying.

Q1: Gasly Immediately Shows Alpine Pace

The slipstream games began as soon as Q1 started.

Lindblad helped Tsunoda.

Gasly positioned himself ahead of Colapinto.

At Audi, Hülkenberg once again gave Bortoleto a tow.

The Brazilian took advantage.

Bortoleto produced a clean first attempt and placed himself close to the Ferraris on the timesheets.

Verstappen was one of the first major contenders to establish a serious reference, going fastest with 1:22.631.

Mercedes approached the opening phase differently between its two cars.

Antonelli used soft tyres.

Russell began on mediums.

Antonelli recorded 1:22.758.

Russell followed with 1:22.779.

Then Alpine changed the picture.

Alpine Leads the Way

Colapinto produced 1:22.662 and moved into third.

Gasly went even faster.

The Frenchman recorded 1:22.612 to take first place away from Verstappen.

It was the first clear sign that Alpine’s pace was genuine.

Leclerc improved to 1:22.902, while Verstappen felt sufficiently comfortable with his time to climb out of the car and avoid another run.

The final minutes became increasingly tense.

Lawson moved into tenth with 1:22.989.

Alonso ended his participation early, leaving the cockpit before the closing sequence.

Then the track filled again.

Bortoleto Advances Comfortably

Norris, only 11th at that stage, responded under pressure with 1:22.659 to jump into third.

Lindblad also found a strong lap with 1:22.727.

Bortoleto improved enough to secure a place in Q2 and finished the session 12th.

More importantly, he was approximately half a second quicker than Hülkenberg.

Gasly ended Q1 on top, ahead of Verstappen, Norris, Colapinto and Lindblad.

Yuki Tsunoda, Alexander Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were eliminated.

Q2: Bortoleto Enters the Q3 Fight

Red Bull immediately turned to teamwork when Q2 began.

Lawson ran ahead of Verstappen to provide a tow.

Carlos Sainz positioned himself nearby, attempting to benefit from the same aerodynamic effect.

Verstappen opened with 1:22.573.

Then the leading times began falling quickly.

Russell moved ahead with 1:22.161.

Gasly responded with 1:22.126.

Norris lowered the benchmark to 1:22.067.

Piastri then went fastest with 1:22.017.

The fight was exceptionally close.

Bortoleto Puts Audi in Position

Bortoleto completed his first Q2 effort in 1:22.566.

That placed him ninth.

For a driver who had struggled to unlock the soft tyre throughout practice, it was a significant improvement.

More importantly, it placed him directly inside the Q3 battle.

Lindblad recorded 1:22.345.

Colapinto followed with 1:22.403.

Verstappen was temporarily only tenth.

Leclerc sat eighth.

Hamilton was among those at risk.

Bortoleto was inside the top ten.

One Thousandth of a Second

The entire field returned to the circuit for one final attack.

Lawson improved with the help of Verstappen’s tow but remained outside the top ten.

Piastri and Lawson were noted for a possible impeding incident at Turn 1, with the matter set for review after the session.

At the front, Antonelli produced the strongest lap and went fastest.

Russell failed to improve.

Then attention shifted to the cut line.

Hamilton had to improve.

He did.

The Ferrari driver found enough time to move into the top ten and push Bortoleto into the elimination zone.

But the Brazilian was still on a flying lap.

Bortoleto crossed the line in 1:22.517.

The difference was almost impossible to believe.

0.001 seconds.

One thousandth separated Bortoleto from Hamilton and the final place in Q3.

Bortoleto was eliminated in 11th.

Bortoleto’s Recovery Ends by the Smallest Margin

The disappointment was obvious, but the broader picture was positive.

Bortoleto had spent practice struggling with the soft tyre.

In qualifying, he made it work.

He advanced through Q1.

He again outqualified Hülkenberg.

He came within a single thousandth of Q3.

He finished ahead of Bearman, Hülkenberg, Lawson, Sainz and Ocon.

It was a qualifying session defined less by the final position than by the improvement.

Audi had arrived at Monza expecting a difficult weekend.

Bortoleto nearly put the car into Q3 anyway.

Q3: Mercedes Uses Antonelli as Russell’s Wingman

The final phase introduced another strategic complication.

Antonelli already had a power unit related grid penalty and was expected to start from the back.

That reduced the importance of his own qualifying position.

Mercedes used the situation to help Russell.

When the first runs began, teams organised their cars in pairs.

Antonelli went ahead of Russell.

Norris provided a tow for Piastri.

Gasly worked ahead of Colapinto.

Antonelli performed his role perfectly.

He gave Russell a tow and then aborted his own lap.

Russell immediately delivered.

1:21.929.

Provisional pole.

Piastri followed with 1:21.966, only 0.037 seconds behind.

Gasly was third on 1:22.001.

Leclerc produced 1:22.004.

Four drivers were separated by less than one tenth.

Russell Leads but Complains About the Car

Despite holding provisional pole, Russell was not completely satisfied.

He reported front tyre locking and high speed instability over the radio.

Antonelli later returned to complete a personal flying lap and recorded 1:22.093.

The Mercedes remained quick, but Russell was still searching for the final margin.

The last runs would decide everything.

Final Attempts

With less than three minutes remaining, all ten drivers returned to the circuit.

The running order was crucial.

Piastri.

Norris.

Verstappen.

Antonelli.

Russell.

Lindblad.

Leclerc.

Hamilton.

Gasly.

Colapinto.

Piastri’s challenge ended almost immediately when he made a mistake at the first braking zone.

Antonelli also abandoned his final run.

Norris could not improve.

Verstappen failed to find the necessary time.

Then Russell crossed the line.

Russell Improves Again

The Mercedes driver lowered his benchmark to 1:21.846.

After leading FP2.

After leading FP3.

After leading the first Q3 runs.

After improving again on his final attempt.

Pole looked almost certain.

Then Gasly arrived.

Gasly Produces the Lap of the Weekend

The Alpine driver crossed the line in 1:21.786.

Russell had been beaten.

By 0.060 seconds.

Gasly had transformed a strong qualifying session into an extraordinary one.

The speed seen in Q1 had not been a coincidence.

The Alpine was genuinely competitive.

When the pressure was at its highest, Gasly produced the cleanest lap of all.

Pole position at Monza belonged to Alpine.

Piastri Holds Third

Piastri’s opening Q3 lap remained good enough for third.

His 1:21.966 left him 0.180 seconds away from pole.

Leclerc secured fourth with 1:22.004.

Hamilton recovered from a poor first run and produced 1:22.011 to take fifth.

Ferrari therefore locked out the third row for its home Grand Prix.

Verstappen Sixth, Antonelli Seventh

Verstappen could manage only sixth with 1:22.070.

Antonelli was seventh with 1:22.093.

His qualifying position is largely academic because of the power unit penalty that will send him towards the rear of the starting grid.

That changes the strategic picture for Sunday.

Colapinto delivered an excellent eighth for Alpine.

Norris qualified only ninth after failing to improve at the decisive moment.

Lindblad completed the top ten.

Alpine’s Extraordinary Saturday

Gasly’s pole would already have represented a remarkable result.

Colapinto finishing eighth makes the achievement even more significant.

Alpine demonstrated pace throughout every phase.

Gasly led Q1.

He remained near the front in Q2.

He delivered pole in Q3.

Colapinto was competitive throughout.

This was not simply a lap produced by an unusual tow.

Alpine had genuine Monza pace.

Starting Grid Still Subject to Penalties

The qualifying classification is not expected to match the final Sunday grid.

Antonelli carries a power unit related penalty and is set to start from the back.

Lawson is also carrying a power unit penalty.

That means several drivers behind them should move forward once the final starting order is confirmed.

The biggest beneficiary could be Bortoleto.

His 11th place in qualifying already puts him close to the points positions.

Grid penalties ahead may improve that starting position further.

2026 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying Classification

Classification shown before grid penalties are applied.

What Gasly’s Pole Means for Sunday

The front row creates an unusual tactical battle.

Gasly has track position.

Russell has arguably shown the strongest overall pace across the weekend.

Piastri sits directly behind them.

Ferrari has both cars together on rows two and three.

Verstappen remains close enough to attack.

Norris starts only ninth.

Antonelli will be sent backwards by his penalty.

At Monza, the run to the first chicane is one of the most important on the Formula One calendar.

Gasly will need to launch cleanly.

Russell will have the Mercedes’ straight line pace and slipstream directly alongside him.

Piastri will be waiting behind.

Ferrari will have two cars capable of influencing the opening phase.

The strategic possibilities are enormous.

The Verdict

George Russell had controlled most of the weekend.

Pierre Gasly controlled the moment that mattered.

That is qualifying.

The Alpine driver had shown genuine pace throughout the session, but his final Q3 lap transformed a strong Saturday into one of the biggest surprises of the season.

Russell missed out by only six hundredths.

Piastri remains a serious threat from third.

Ferrari stays firmly involved at home.

And Bortoleto leaves qualifying knowing that one thousandth of a second separated him from Q3.

At Monza, where margins are measured in fractions and slipstream can transform a lap, Formula One has produced a grid that promises an unpredictable Italian Grand Prix.

For Alpine, however, Saturday already belongs to history.

Pierre Gasly is on pole at the Temple of Speed.