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Gasly and Alpine stun Mercedes to take Italian GP pole
The Race • • general
Key Points:
- Pierre Gasly secured a surprise pole position for Alpine at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, beating George Russell's Mercedes by 0.06 seconds, marking Gasly's first F1 pole.
- Gasly demonstrated strong pace throughout qualifying, topping Q1, placing fourth in Q2, and ultimately reclaiming the lead in the final Q3 runs by following a Ferrari for a tow.
- Oscar Piastri qualified third for McLaren despite locking up in the final shootout, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton narrowly avoided Q2 elimination to start fourth and fifth respectively.
- Kimi Antonelli sacrificed his Q3 run to aid Russell's pole attempt but will start from the back due to an engine penalty; teammate Franco Colapinto qualified eighth for Alpine.
- Several notable drivers, including Gabriel Bortoleto, Ollie Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, and Liam Lawson, missed Q3, with energy and power deficits impacting some teams, notably Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
