Gasly hails ‘priceless’ Italian pole after Monaco heartbreak

Pierre Gasly secured the first pole position of his Formula 1 career at the Italian Grand Prix, posting a 1m21.786s in Q3 to edge George Russell by 0.060s. The result gives Alpine its first pole under its current identity and makes Gasly the first French driver to start from P1 since Jean Alesi in 1997.

Why it matters:

The pole caps a dramatic emotional swing for Gasly and Alpine, who were deflated just 24 hours earlier when the FIA International Court of Appeal stripped Gasly of his Monaco podium for a second time. Gasly described the moment as 'priceless emotions' after a difficult week. It also reinforces Monza as a special venue for Gasly, who claimed his only F1 victory here in 2020.

The Details:

• The pole is Alpine's first since Fernando Alonso topped qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian GP, and the first for the Enstone operation since then.
• Gasly's Monaco demotion from third to seventh handed the podium to Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.
• Alpine's upgrade, introduced on Gasly's car at Zandvoort, is now on both cars and is working well at Monza's low-drag layout.
• Team MD Steve Nielsen credited perfect tow execution and error-free laps: 'We got the gaps right. We got the tows right.'

What's next:

Gasly is refusing to rule out converting pole into a second Monza win, saying 'Why not?' Nielsen shares that optimism after the team's turnaround: 'We didn't expect to be on pole position. We are. Tomorrow, good start, good strategy, good pit stops. Who knows? Let's try and win it.'