Pierre Gasly claimed a shock pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, the first for the Enstone-based team since 2009. Just days earlier, the French driver had been stripped of his P3 finish in Monaco as the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled he had failed to serve a time penalty during the race in the principality.
Mercedes Slip-Up in Q3
Mercedes appeared to fail to ensure their young Italian driver was in position to give George Russell the slipstream for the final push lap in Q3, which allowed Pierre Gasly — the last driver across the line — to claim a front-row start for Sunday’s race.
This means Mercedes-powered cars have claimed every pole this season, despite the farcical FIA ruling that Red Bull has the most powerful internal combustion engine — and are therefore not eligible for an upgrade token unlike the rest of the manufacturers.
Leading the Head of the Snake
Gasly has been competing in the sport for nine years, and this was the first pole position of his F1 career. The drivers waited until the last minute to leave the pit lane for their final qualifying effort, with Oscar Piastri being forced to lead the head of the snake and make a slipstream for the rest of the field.
Coming into the first chicane, Piastri locked up, leaving the track and losing the chance to fight for pole position. Yet his time set at the start of Q3 was good enough to see the Australian start from P3 for Sunday’s race.
Russell blamed Mercedes for “messing up” his departure from the pit lane, but the British driver simply started the lap too close to Max Verstappen, who he caught through the second chicane, ruining his lap.
Aero Gambles and Strategy
TV replays showed that despite having the same powertrain, Gasly and Russell used different deployment strategies for the hybrid electrical charge. Alpine had trimmed out the rear wing from FP3 to represent a more traditional Monza-style aerodynamic profile than did the rest of the teams, which meant the majority of the engineers failed to work out the conundrum of the new active aerodynamics.
Ferrari scraped through into Q3, with Lewis Hamilton being just 1/1000th of a second quicker than Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto to finish the second session in P10. In the final qualifying runs, both Ferraris were first to blink and left the pit lane ahead of their rivals, which compromised any hope of getting a tow to improve their lap times.
Despite running ahead of his teammate, Charles Leclerc was the quickest of the Ferrari duo and will start P4, with his teammate one grid slot behind him. Alpine had been the centre of a paddock row at the start of the race weekend, with their team boss Flavio Briatore claiming one of the FIA-appointed judges who was to rule on the Monaco podium suffered a conflict of interest due to a previous relationship with McLaren, who had initiated the hearing.
Inside the Paddock Reaction
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted the team had failed to give George Russell the proper advice when starting the lap. He ruled out the scenario that Kimi Antonelli would drive through the field to the podium, given how close the front-running cars are in terms of lap time.
Given the engine penalties Antonelli will take for the start of the Grand Prix, he admitted he had been happy to help the team in its efforts to ensure a pole position for his teammate — although ultimately it was not to be.
“Let’s go! Been waiting for that one!” shouted Gasly when his engineer told him he was on pole position, just 0.06 seconds ahead of Russell in the Mercedes. Ironically, the French driver’s only Grand Prix win of his career was here in Monza, when he was driving for the Red Bull sister team AlphaTauri.
Currently sitting in P4, Oscar Piastri will take a trip to the stewards’ office to answer a charge of impeding Liam Lawson, who was again standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar. Red Bull were also trying to manage the tow between their drivers, with Lawson due to start from the back of the grid after being handed engine penalties.
Struggles Further Down the Grid
Further down the field, despite a B-spec car and a Honda engine upgrade, the Aston Martin drivers were rooted to the bottom of the timesheets, with Lance Stroll completing his 100th Q1 knockout — a dubious record for the son of the team’s billionaire owner.
As is often the case, Ferrari focused their mid-season upgrade efforts to do well at their home Grand Prix in Monza. Yet the upgraded power unit did not have the pace of the Mercedes runners. A downbeat Lewis Hamilton suggested he’d changed nothing on his car since FP3 in the morning, and while he said the car felt good, it was simply lacking pace.
It’s been 27 years since a French driver claimed pole – which was also in Monza back in 1999. It was then Jean Alesi also driving for the Enstone team.
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
