Gasly secures France’s first pole position in almost 30 years, Enstone records its first pole since 2009 and Stroll becomes the first driver to reach 100 Q1 exits. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix!
GASLY ON POLE AT THE 2026 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
Pierre Gasly took a surprise pole position at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, securing the first pole of his career. Gasly secured his first pole position at the same track at which he took his first victory six years ago.
Gasly became the 109th polesitter in World Championship history. He is the second driver to join the list this year, after Kimi Antonelli at the Chinese Grand Prix. 2026 is the first season to feature multiple new polesitters since 2022.
This being his 192nd Grand Prix appearance, Gasly ended the second-longest wait for a pole position. The only longer wait was for Sergio Perez, who entered 216 Grands Prix before securing his first pole at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Gasly is the tenth French driver to take a pole position in Formula 1. This was the 80th pole position for France in F1 history and the first since Jean Alesi secured pole for the 1997 Italian Grand Prix, 29 years ago. All but one of the last five pole positions for French drivers have been recorded at Monza (Gasly in 2026, Alesi in 1994 & 1997, Alain Prost in 1993).
This was the first pole position for Alpine and the first pole for the Enstone-based team since Fernando Alonso secured pole with Renault at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.
It was the first top three qualification for the Enstone-based team at Monza since 2005.
Gasly recorded his first Q3 appearance since the Monaco Grand Prix. It was Gasly’s first top ten qualification at Monza since 2022. He had never previously qualified above ninth place at the track.
IN THE TOP TEN
Setting the second fastest time in Q3, George Russell recorded the first front row qualification for Mercedes at Monza since Valtteri Bottas took pole position for the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
This was Russell’s best qualifying result at Monza to date, beating his previous best of third place in 2024.
Oscar Piastri qualified third for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, equalling his best qualifying result of the season to date. However, he will serve a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix. He also qualified third for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth. This was the third year in a row that Ferrari qualified fourth and fifth at Monza.
Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, recording his worst qualifying result of the season so far. It was an uncompetitive session for Antonelli, who was already guaranteed a back of the grid start due to power unit penalties.
With both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto reaching Q3, this was Alpine’s first double Q3 appearance since the 2026 Miami Grand Prix. It was the Enstone-based team’s first double top ten qualification at Monza since the 2019 Italian Grand Prix.
Colapinto recorded his first Q3 appearance since the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix. He equalled his best qualifying result of the year so far, having also qualified eighth for the Miami Grand Prix.
Arvid Lindblad became the first driver for the Red Bull junior team to reach Q3 at Monza since 2022.
This was Lindblad’s sixth consecutive Q3 appearance.
Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli each retained their 100% Q3 appearance records at the Italian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris recorded his worst qualifying result of the season to date with ninth place. This was the first time he qualified outside of the top eight since the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Piastri out-qualified Norris for the first time since the Monaco Grand Prix.
ELIMINATED IN Q2
Gabriel Bortoleto qualified 11th for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, missing out on a spot in Q3 by just a thousandth of a second.
With both Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg out in Q2, this was the first time since the British Grand Prix that neither Audi driver qualified in the top ten.
For the first time since the Austrian Grand Prix, both Haas drivers made it through to Q2. Only one had made it into the second stage of qualifying in each of the four previous Grand Prix weekends.
Esteban Ocon was eliminated in Q2 for the sixth time in his last seven Italian Grand Prix appearances.
Qualifying 14th, Liam Lawson became the first Red Bull driver to fail to reach Q3 since the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix. It was the first time since 2019 that a Red Bull driver did not qualify in the top ten for the Italian Grand Prix.
Lawson equalled his worst qualifying result of the season so far, having also qualified 14th in China and Japan.
OUT IN Q1
Lance Stroll became the first driver to record as many as 100 Q1 exits since the knockout qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
This was the fifth year in a row that Stroll was out in Q1 at the Italian Grand Prix. It was the second time, after 2023, that he set the slowest lap time in Q1 at Monza.
This was the sixth time in 2026 that Stroll was slowest of the 22 drivers in qualifying.
Aston Martin recorded their 12th double Q1 exit of the season, with Fernando Alonso’s Q2 appearance at the Hungaroring remaining their only non-Q1-exit of the season.
This was Aston Martin’s first double Q1 exit at Monza since 2022.
Alonso was eliminated in Q1 at Monza for only the second time in his career, after 2015.
Yuki Tsunoda made this the third year in a row that a driver for the Red Bull junior team exited in Q1 at the Italian Grand Prix.
This was Racing Bulls’ first Q1 exit since Arvid Lindblad was eliminated in Q1 at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.
Qualifying 18th for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, Alex Albon recorded his eighth Q1 exit of the season. He has made it out of the first stage of qualifying only twice in the last seven race weekends.
This was Albon’s first Q1 exit in his six Italian Grand Prix appearances.
Cadillac remain yet to make it out of Q1, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez qualifying 19th and 20th respectively for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix.
Perez’s Q1 exit ended a streak of five successive Q3 appearances for the Mexican driver at Monza.