Qualifying Report & Results 2026 Italian F1 Grand Prix
Event: Italian Grand Prix
Track: Monza Circuit
Weather: Clear & Sunny 34°C / 93.2°F
Tarmac: Dry 52°C / 125.6°F
Humidity : 34%
Wind : 6.1 km/h South
Pressure: 995 mbar
Gasly Stuns Monza With Sensational Italian GP Pole
Pierre Gasly produced the lap of qualifying at Monza to claim pole position for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, beating George Russell by just 0.060s in a remarkably tight Q3 shootout.
Oscar Piastri qualified third for McLaren ahead of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, while Kimi Antonelli took seventh before the grid penalties that will send him towards the back on Sunday.
Gasly's pole was no fluke. Alpine had shown genuine speed throughout Saturday, and the Frenchman delivered when it mattered most to secure the first pole position of his Formula 1 career.
Monza already held special memories for Gasly after his maiden Grand Prix victory here. Now the Temple of Speed has given him another career landmark.
Gasly delivers the lap of Q3
Russell entered qualifying as the favourite.
Mercedes had topped FP2 and FP3, looked particularly strong down Monza's straights and had Antonelli available to help with a tow because his own starting position was already compromised by power unit penalties.
Russell duly set the first serious Q3 benchmark with a 1:21.929.
Piastri came within 0.037s, with Gasly another 0.035s further back. Leclerc was just 0.003s behind the Alpine and Verstappen was also firmly in contention.
The gaps were tiny.
On the final runs, Russell looked threatening again, going fastest through sector two.
Gasly was improving as well.
Personal bests through the opening two sectors kept the Alpine in contention before the Frenchman crossed the line and jumped to provisional pole.
Nobody could beat him.
Gasly had edged Russell by 0.060s and delivered one of Alpine's biggest results of the season.
Alpine's pace was real
The most impressive part of Gasly's pole was that it had been building all day.
Alpine showed strong pace in final practice and carried that form straight into qualifying.
Gasly went fastest during Q1 and remained competitive through Q2, while Franco Colapinto also showed enough speed to reach Q3.
Both cars are now running the same upgraded specification, after only Gasly had access to the newer parts at the previous race.
That progress was visible throughout qualifying.
Gasly did not appear from nowhere with one inspired final lap. Alpine had been competitive from the opening stages, and pole was the culmination of a genuinely strong Saturday.
Colapinto underlined that progress by qualifying eighth.
Russell misses pole despite favourable hand
Second place will feel like a missed opportunity for Russell.
He had been the benchmark through much of the weekend and looked capable of converting Mercedes' strong Monza form into pole.
Antonelli helped him with a tow during qualifying, and Russell again looked quick in Q3.
But the final lap was not perfectly clean.
Russell said afterwards that his preparation became slightly messy with Verstappen ahead of him, leaving him closer to the Red Bull than he wanted as the lap began.
At Monza, where slipstream, tyre preparation and track position can decide hundredths, that was enough.
Gasly needed only 0.060s.
Piastri takes third but awaits stewards
Piastri secured third for McLaren after a weekend in which the team's true pace had been difficult to read.
The Australian was immediately competitive in Q3, coming within 0.037s of Russell on the opening runs.
His final position may not yet be secure, however.
The stewards are investigating an incident involving Piastri and Liam Lawson during Q2 for potential impeding.
Lawson encountered heavy traffic approaching Turn 1, with Piastri attempting to move aside but finding limited room.
The incident was noted during qualifying and scheduled for investigation after the session.
Any penalty could still alter the front of Sunday's grid.
Ferrari survives extraordinary Q2 scare
Ferrari came frighteningly close to losing both cars before Q3.
Leclerc and Hamilton both entered the closing stages of Q2 under serious pressure.
Leclerc's final lap came without a tow and was only enough for ninth, leaving him safe by just 0.008s.
Hamilton came even closer to disaster.
Despite using fresh soft tyres and receiving a tow, he could only move into tenth.
Gabriel Bortoleto missed out by 0.001s.
Ferrari had scraped both cars through.
Q3 was more comfortable, but neither driver found enough to challenge for pole. Leclerc qualified fourth, while Hamilton took fifth.
After Ferrari's strong pace throughout practice, missing the front row will be a disappointment for the tifosi.
Verstappen recovery ends with sixth
Verstappen's qualifying result completed Red Bull's recovery from a difficult Friday.
The Dutchman had finished only ninth in FP2 before improving to third in FP3, and he remained competitive during the early stages of qualifying.
He topped the first part of Q1 and again went quickest during the opening phase of Q2.
In Q3, however, Red Bull could not match the final pace of Alpine, Mercedes, McLaren or Ferrari.
Verstappen ended the session sixth.
That was still a substantial improvement on Red Bull's position after Friday, but not enough to challenge the leading rows.
Lawson's Q2 elimination also removed the possibility of Red Bull using him to assist Verstappen with a tow in Q3.
Antonelli shows speed before grid penalty
Antonelli produced one of the most bittersweet performances of qualifying.
The Mercedes driver topped Q2, proving he had genuine one-lap pace, but his own qualifying position carries far less importance because of his power unit penalties.
Mercedes therefore used him strategically.
Antonelli headed Russell onto the circuit in Q3 to provide his team-mate with a tow, sacrificing some of the focus on his own lap.
He eventually qualified seventh.
The raw speed was clearly there, but Sunday's race will instead become a recovery drive from the rear of the field.
Norris struggles to ninth
While Piastri qualified third, Norris had a much more difficult session.
The McLaren driver complained about a lack of power and brake issues in Q1, although he still managed to progress.
He made it through Q2 and into the final shootout, but never looked fully comfortable.
On the final Q3 runs, Piastri went out ahead of Norris but locked up and abandoned his own lap.
That left Norris without the slipstream he might otherwise have benefited from.
He was already four tenths down through sector one and eventually remained ninth.
It was a frustrating end to qualifying for the McLaren driver.
Q2 eliminates Lawson and Bortoleto
Q2 delivered some of the biggest drama of the session.
Gasly again showed Alpine's speed, while Ferrari found itself unexpectedly close to elimination.
Hamilton sat outside the top 10 with five minutes remaining, while Verstappen was also only tenth at one stage.
Lawson desperately needed to progress if Red Bull wanted the option of using him strategically in Q3, but traffic compromised his final attempt.
Ferrari escaped by the narrowest margins imaginable.
The Q2 eliminations were:
11th Gabriel Bortoleto
12th Oliver Bearman
13th Nico Hulkenberg
14th Liam Lawson
15th Carlos Sainz
16th Esteban Ocon
Bortoleto missed Q3 by only 0.001s.
Aston Martin and Cadillac fall in Q1
Several established names disappeared in the opening segment.
Aston Martin's difficult Monza weekend continued as both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were eliminated.
Alonso's session ended particularly early. He climbed out of the car before Q1 was complete, suggesting a possible technical issue.
Cadillac also lost both cars, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez unable to progress.
Alex Albon was eliminated after Williams struggled for pace, although his own grid penalties meant the team had already used him to assist Carlos Sainz with a tow.
Yuki Tsunoda was the final driver knocked out after Racing Bulls had earlier been dealing with a reported fuel leak on his car.
The Q1 eliminations were:
17th Yuki Tsunoda
18th Alex Albon
19th Valtteri Bottas
20th Sergio Perez
21st Fernando Alonso
22nd Lance Stroll
Gasly gives Alpine a Monza moment to remember
Qualifying began with Russell as the benchmark.
Mercedes had topped the final two practice sessions. Ferrari looked capable of fighting back. Verstappen had recovered from Friday. McLaren remained difficult to place.
Gasly beat them all.
Alpine had been quick throughout Saturday, and when the session demanded one perfect lap, Gasly delivered it.
Russell missed out by 0.060s. Piastri took third but still faces a stewards investigation. Ferrari survived a Q2 scare before settling for fourth and fifth, while Verstappen could manage only sixth.
Grid penalties will still reshape Sunday's starting order, and Piastri's investigation could change it further.
None of that alters who earned pole position.
Nine years into his Formula 1 career, at the circuit where he scored his first Grand Prix victory, Pierre Gasly finally has his first pole.
And he took it on merit.
Qualifying Times 2026 Italian GP
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:22.612 | 1:22.077 | 1:21.786 | 18 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:22.779 | 1:22.161 | 1:21.846 | 17 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:22.924 | 1:22.017 | 1:21.966 | 18 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:22.902 | 1:22.509 | 1:22.004 | 18 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:22.847 | 1:22.516 | 1:22.011 | 15 |
| 6 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:22.631 | 1:22.188 | 1:22.070 | 17 |
| 7 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:22.758 | 1:21.882 | 1:22.093 | 18 |
| 8 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:22.662 | 1:22.400 | 1:22.220 | 18 |
| 9 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:22.659 | 1:22.067 | 1:22.256 | 19 |
| 10 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:22.727 | 1:22.345 | 1:22.286 | 18 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:22.946 | 1:22.517 | 12 | |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:22.906 | 1:22.756 | 15 | |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:23.440 | 1:22.779 | 12 | |
| 14 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | 1:22.989 | 1:22.821 | 17 | |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:23.616 | 1:23.453 | 15 | |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:23.466 | 1:23.454 | 15 | |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1:23.755 | 6 | ||
| 18 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:24.356 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:24.364 | 9 | ||
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:24.595 | 9 | ||
| 21 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:25.150 | 6 | ||
| 22 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:25.222 | 9 |
The quickest lap time of last year's qualifying was a 1:18.792 min, set by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB21 on Soft tyres.
The quickest sector times during today's FP2 were:
- Sector 1: 26.779 sec. by Franco Colapinto with the Alpine A526.
- Sector 2: 27.596 sec. by George Russell with the Mercedes W17.
- Sector 3: 27.081 sec. by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari SF-26.
What's Your Podium Prediction for the upcoming F1 Grand Prix?
United States Grand PrixAustin · round 18 of 23The Predictor F1-Fansite data model
Championship form and recent form. The starting grid joins in after qualifying, then the chances update.
Kimi AntonelliMercedes · #1237%to win
Max VerstappenRed Bull · #314%to win
George RussellMercedes · #639.5%to winWho's on the podium?
Pick your top 3, then drag the number (or use the arrows) to set the order. You can edit until the race starts.
Scoring: 3 pts for a driver in the exact spot, 1 pt for the right driver in the wrong spot. A perfect podium earns the Oracle badge.
A free account locks it in. We keep your picks while you sign up.
Everyone's picks stay hidden until lights out, so no one can copy.
All 22 drivers: win, podium and points chances
| # | Driver | Win | Podium | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi AntonelliMercedes | 37% | 80% | 100% | P1 in the championship · 4 podiums in the last 5 |
| 2 | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 14% | 46% | 98% | P4 in the championship · 5 podiums in the last 5 |
| 3 | George RussellMercedes | 9.5% | 32% | 95% | P2 in the championship · 2 podiums in the last 5 |
| 4 | Charles LeclercFerrari | 8.2% | 28% | 93% | P5 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 5 | Lewis HamiltonFerrari | 7.7% | 29% | 93% | P3 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 6 | Lando NorrisMcLaren | 6.8% | 23% | 88% | P6 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 7 | Oscar PiastriMcLaren | 3.6% | 14% | 74% | P7 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 8 | Isack HadjarRed Bull | 3.2% | 11% | 66% | P8 in the championship · 1 podium in the last 5 |
| 9 | Liam LawsonRacing Bulls | 1.6% | 6.7% | 47% | P9 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 10 | Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls | 1.2% | 4.8% | 36% | P11 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 11 | Nico HülkenbergAudi | 0.9% | 3.4% | 26% | P14 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 12 | Pierre GaslyAlpine | 0.8% | 2.8% | 25% | P10 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 13 | Esteban OconHaas | 0.8% | 2.5% | 21% | P18 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 14 | Franco ColapintoAlpine | 0.8% | 2.9% | 22% | P12 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 2 DNFs |
| 15 | Oliver BearmanHaas | 0.7% | 2.8% | 22% | P13 in the championship · no podium in the last 5 |
| 16 | Carlos SainzWilliams | 0.5% | 2.1% | 16% | P17 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 17 | Gabriel BortoletoAudi | 0.5% | 2.0% | 16% | P15 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 18 | Valtteri BottasCadillac | 0.4% | 1.4% | 12% | P22 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
| 19 | Fernando AlonsoAston Martin | 0.4% | 1.7% | 14% | P16 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 2 DNFs |
| 20 | Lance StrollAston Martin | 0.4% | 1.4% | 11% | P23 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 4 DNFs |
| 21 | Alex AlbonWilliams | 0.4% | 1.4% | 12% | P19 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 3 DNFs |
| 22 | Sergio PérezCadillac | 0.4% | 1.3% | 13% | P21 in the championship · no podium in the last 5, 1 DNF |
Podium = chance of a top-three finish, Points = chance of a top-ten. Rounded; the win column adds up to 100%.
Season standings · 2026
How the Predictor works
No bookmakers, no odds: every number comes from the F1-Fansite results database. Each driver gets a strength score from the factors below; the race is then simulated 10,000 times and we count how often each driver wins, finishes on the podium or scores points. It does not know about weather or reliability, and it says so. Grid penalties count as soon as the official starting grid is in.
Before qualifying the model is honest about the odds: three or four candidates share most of the chance. After qualifying the grid takes over and the call sharpens.
Calibration this season: when it said 7%, it happened 0% of the time; when it said 15%, it happened 7% of the time.
✅ Don't forget to check out our 2026 Italian F1 Grand Prix preview info.
2 F1 Fan comments on “Qualifying Report & Results 2026 Italian F1 Grand Prix”
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What an end & even though Gasly had been surprisingly fast throughout qualifying, I didn’t think he could beat Russell, so the moment of taking P1 surprised.
On the other hand, he’s unlikely to win on pure pace, so most likely Russell’s victory to lose.
What a messy qualifying for McLaren & Red Bull Racing.
Aston Martin is the outright slowest again for a change.
Tsunoda returned to being mediocre average.
Havnt Ferrari got a new engine designer called Hamilton , she designed the rest of this years good bits of the Ferrari , youd have thought shed have done the engine aswell
As the saying goes Jam tomorrow for the Tifosi
Another good quali by Audi 11th and 13th