Monza - Qualifying

No one could have predicted the final result of the qualifying at the iconic Italian circuit. Although the afternoon started as many had expected it to, by the end of the exciting hour, a new polesitter emerged from the crowd. 

Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, exchanged multiple parts of his engine for the Grand Prix and was thus set to start it from the very back of the grid regardless of his performance on Saturday. For once this season, he was therefore not the center of attention for fans and media alike. The top teams quickly soared to the top of the Q1 standings, but this time it wasn't a Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, or McLaren that finished the session on top. Seemingly out of nowhere, Alpine has found incredible pace, with Pierre Gasly finishing with the best time out of all contenders. On the other end of the spectrum, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll finished the day early. 

The two Red Bulls set very early times in Saturday's second session, but their early efforts were quickly defeated by those who waited a bit longer to get out of the pit lane. Still, their results put them in a safe and comfortable position, something that could not be said about Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who found himself in the elimination zone after his first timed attempt. Although he did manage to improve his lap, he was only one position away from disappointing the sea of fans dressed in Ferrari red. This time, it was Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Carlos Sainz, and Esteban Ocon who got eliminated. 

Invigorated by the lack of competition from his teammate, George Russell put together a lap worth praising, taking the provisional pole. His time only improved on his second attempt. Just as the Mercedes fans began celebrating their driver, the unimaginable happened. Gasly soared through the circuit, quicker than anyone else, thanks to his well-calibrated energy management. For the first time in his Formula One career, he finished the qualifying session on the very top of the leaderboards, securing the best possible position for Sunday's race.

Order of the grid:

1. Pierre Gasly

2. George Russell

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. Max Verstappen

7. Kimi Antonelli

8. Franco Colapinto

9. Lando Norris

10. Arvid Lindblad

11. Gabriel Bortoleto

12. Oliver Bearman

13. Nico Hulkenberg

14. Liam Lawson

15. Carlos Sainz

16. Esteban Ocon

17. Yuki Tsunoda

18. Alex Albon

19. Valtteri Bottas

20. Sergio Perez

21. Fernando Alonso

22. Lance Stroll