SHOCKING NEWS: PIERRE GASLY POLE SHOCK AS LEWIS HAMILTON SURVIVES AL….See more in the comment

SHOCKING NEWS: PIERRE GASLY POLE SHOCK AS LEWIS HAMILTON SURVIVES AL….See more in the comment

Pierre Gasly produced the shock of the 2026 season by taking his first-ever Formula 1 pole position at the Italian Grand Prix. The Alpine driver delivered a 1:21.786 on his final Q3 run to beat Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.060s, giving Alpine its first pole in the team’s history. “It has been nine years, chipping away and trying to get pole. Won my first race in Monza, and now my first pole,” said Gasly, who won here for AlphaTauri in 2020. It was also the first pole for a French driver since Jean Alesi at Monza in 1997. Russell will start alongside him on the front row, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri third after a late lock-up at the first chicane.
     There was drama at Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton nearly missed out on Q3 at his team’s home race. With three minutes left in Q2, the seven-time champion was still outside the top 10 before pulling a last-gasp lap to get through — by just 0.001s — while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto missed out by 0.008s. The relief was audible around the Tifosi-packed grandstands. Hamilton ended up fifth on the grid, just behind teammate Charles Leclerc in fourth, after Ferrari struggled for one-lap pace all day. Team boss Toto Wolff noted Alpine’s low-drag package gave them “a huge amount of straight-line speed” that proved decisive on a single lap, but said “the race is a completely different ball game”.

   The grid has a Monza twist: championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh but will start from the back due to power unit penalties, giving Russell a big chance to close the 59-point gap. Gasly’s surprise also comes days after losing a Monaco podium following an FIA appeal, making it “sweet revenge” for the Frenchman. With slipstreaming and overtaking opportunities abundant at the ‘Temple of Speed’, holding pole will be tough — Alpine has Mercedes power but has generally struggled for race pace in 2026. For Hamilton, starting fifth at Ferrari means damage limitation, but surviving that Q2 scare keeps him in the fight for a podium in front of the home crowd.