Pierre Gasly delivered the shock of the season by taking the first pole position of his career for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
Gasly’s improbable triumph arrived a day on from his Alpine boss Flavio Briatore accusing an FIA judge of having a “working relationship” with McLaren after the British team’s appeal saw the Frenchman stripped of his podium from June’s Monaco Grand Prix.
George Russell, widely expected to claim a much-needed pole in his world championship quest, had to settle for second, pipped to top spot by Gasly by just 0.060 seconds.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished third, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton fourth and fifth respectively for Ferrari.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli took seventh but will start his home race from the back of the grid as he serves an engine penalty.
World champion Lando Norris arrived in Italy with consecutive victories under his belt but looks almost certain to miss out on a hat-trick after he could manage only ninth.
With Antonelli starting Sunday’s 53-lap race from the rear, Russell knew this event would hand him a golden chance to eat into his Mercedes teammate’s 59-point championship lead.
But the Englishman will have to see off Gasly’s unexpected challenge to claim a full quota of points in what could prove a pivotal contest in the title race with 11 rounds, including Sunday’s fixture, still to go.
Hamilton spoke about his dream of winning in Monza for a record sixth time and a first for Ferrari in the build-up to the Italian team’s home event.
But the seven-time world champion endured a difficult afternoon for Ferrari in their own backyard.
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At one stage, Hamilton’s presence in Q3 appeared in grave danger after he could set only the 10th quickest time, with Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto set to hand him a humiliating exit.
However, his blushes were spared by just one thousandth of a second.
His first run in Q3 left him in ninth, almost eight-tenths off the pace, but he improved with his second to haul him up the order, 0.225 seconds slower than Gasly.
It was an unsatisfactory afternoon for Red Bull with Max Verstappen — who claimed his car was “broken” and “undriveable” — three-tenths off the pace in sixth.
While Liam Lawson, who continues to deputize for Isack Hadjar — currently sidelined with a wrist injury — accused Red Bull of leaving him “out to dry” after he was knocked out in Q2.
But there were no such concerns for Gasly as he flourished in his Alpine.
“I have been waiting for that one,” yelled the Frenchman — whose sole victory of his Formula 1 life arrived in Monza six years ago — over the radio.
And he will start from the perfect position to claim a second career win, albeit this time for Alpine, rather than AlphaTauri, when the lights go out on Sunday.
Fernando Alonso finished ninth at the previous round to raise hopes of an Aston Martin revival. But the double world champion qualified 21st, with only teammate Lance Stroll slower.
Williams’ poor run also continued with Alex Albon eliminated in Q1 in 18th and Carlos Sainz just scraping through to the second phase. Sainz was 15th in the end, while Albon will move to the back as he joins Antonelli and Lawson in serving an engine penalty.
