Arabic version: غاسلي يحقق مركز الانطلاق الأول المفاجئ في جائزة إيطاليا الكبرى

According to BBC News, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly took a stunning pole position for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, beating Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.060 seconds. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri initially qualified third, while Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth.

Piastri was later handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, dropping the Australian to sixth on the grid. The decision promotes Leclerc, Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh for Mercedes but will start from the back after receiving a 30-place grid penalty for taking a new engine.

Gasly, 30, earned his first Formula 1 pole nine years into his pursuit and became the first Frenchman to secure grand prix pole position since Jean Alesi drove for Benetton at Monza in 1997. His only F1 victory came at the same circuit in 2020, when he raced for Red Bull’s junior team. “It has been nine years trying to chase a pole position and to take my first win here and then my first pole here is amazing,” Gasly said.

Russell said he began his final lap too close to Verstappen after the Red Bull driver let Antonelli through. “In hindsight, it would probably have been better not trying this, but P2 is a good place to start,” he said. Lando Norris qualified ninth after a difficult session, with Piastri’s lock-up at the first chicane compromising Norris’ final run. Alpine had introduced a major upgrade at the previous race in the Netherlands, and Gasly said his pole position “exceeded all our expectations.”