Pierre Gasly secured a sensational maiden pole position for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Saturday, September 5, 2026. This marks his first career pole in Formula 1.
Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive advisor, commended Gasly’s performance. He stated it was ‘exactly what they deserve’ following a challenging week for the team.
The ‘news of this week’ refers to a controversial ruling by the FIA International Court of Appeal. The court reinstated two five-second penalties for Gasly from the Monaco Grand Prix.
This decision, communicated earlier in the week, resulted in Gasly losing a podium finish he had initially secured. The ruling amended the official race classification and championship points.
Briatore publicly questioned the impartiality of one ICA judge, Filippo Marchino, during a press conference at Monza on Friday. He alleged Marchino had links to McLaren.
McLaren, alongside Red Bull, had appealed the earlier decision to remove Gasly’s penalties. Briatore claimed Marchino was ‘very nasty’ during the hearing.
The FIA Courts are aware of public comments questioning the independence and impartiality of the judges of the panel that decided Case ICA-2026-06-07-08-09.
The FIA Courts issued a statement defending the independence and impartiality of its judges. They noted that all parties had opportunities to raise concerns during the hearing.
Gasly’s pole lap at Monza was a 1m21.786s, narrowly beating George Russell by 0.060 seconds. Oscar Piastri qualified third for McLaren.
This pole position is Alpine’s first in 17 years, marking a significant achievement for the Enstone-based squad. Gasly’s teammate Franco Colapinto also reached Q3, qualifying eighth.
Alpine is currently running a Mercedes customer engine for the 2026 season. This strategic shift followed Renault’s decision to halt its in-house engine program.
The team has undergone significant personnel changes and restructuring. This included the departure of operations director Rob White in late August 2026.
Alpine finished last in the 2025 constructors’ championship, making Gasly’s pole a notable turnaround. The team aims for sustained progress with its new power unit.
Gasly has a notable history at Monza, having secured his maiden Formula 1 victory at the circuit in 2020. This pole position was achieved entirely on merit.
The top ten qualifiers for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix were: Pierre Gasly, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli, Franco Colapinto, Lando Norris, and Arvid Lindblad.
