Pierre Gasly reacts to ‘not a nice situation’ with shock Monza pole

Pierre Gasly took a surprise first pole position in Formula 1 at Monza, making the most of his Alpine setup to start first on the grid for the first time in his Formula 1 career.

A little over 24 hours earlier, however, he had seen his penalties from the Monaco Grand Prix reapplied after an appeal from McLaren and Red Bull, with a podium having been stripped as a result.

Pierre Gasly takes first pole amidst ‘not a nice situation’ with Monaco penalties

It marked quite a turnaround in fortune for the Alpine driver, having seen a podium removed soon before a long-fought pole position for his first in the sport.

Coincidentally, Sunday will mark exactly six years since his first and only victory to date in Formula 1 – also at Monza – with the Temple of Speed having upset the form book on Saturday.

Despite the obvious delight for Gasly after his pole position, he was reminded of the International Court of Appeal’s decision a day beforehand, but that verdict was something he would have preferred to not have on his mind.

“I mean, I don’t think I can say much about this, and all I can say is it’s not a nice situation,” he said after the session.

“Obviously, I try to use everything I can into something positive and extra motivation, but I think I could have dealt without it this weekend. That’s what I’ll say.”

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Having taken his first pole position at the 190th attempt in Formula 1, his delight was mixed with relief at having achieved that accolade.

While the Alpine A526 has largely been a midfield runner this season, its lower-downforce setup paid dividends at Monza – at least in qualifying trim.

As for what will happen in the race, “that’s a problem for tomorrow” in the French driver’s mind.

“I’m just happy for the team,” he added, “and also the whole weekend, a lot of emotions, everything going on, etc.

“So, just trying to stick at doing my job the best I can, and that’s what we did today. So very, very pleased and very proud of my timing.

“I’m in the best position, right? I’m starting first. I’ve got no-one ahead of me. I’ve just got to focus on my driving, I know what it looks like having no-one [ahead] around this track, so that’s a good advantage and probably the best place to do it.

“But then, it’s going to be a long race. I actually felt quite good, obviously, not to the pace of these guys around us, but again, we seem to have picked up more pace from yesterday to today.

“We’ll obviously give our best shot and see what we can get out of it, but I’m excited.

“My plan is to stay first as long as I can. How long is that gonna be? I have no idea, and my focus is gonna be on my driving and making no mistakes and making the best out of what I have.

“I’m obviously really hoping we can stick to that position but, as we know, it’s racing. Time will tell us, and just gonna make sure I do my work as I always do and Saturday night, I come as prepared as I can tomorrow and give it my best chance.”

Gasly will start on the front row alongside George Russell on Sunday, with the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton behind, after a three-place grid penalty was handed to Oscar Piastri.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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