Pierre Gasly takes shock pole position for F1 Italian Grand Prix as Alpine stun big guns

• Alpine driver takes first pole of his career

• Russell on front row, Hamilton fifth on grid

Pierre Gasly claimed a shock pole position for the Italian Grand Prixat Monza, securing his first Formula One pole and the first for his Alpine team. In a tightly-fought contest the Frenchman just had the edge to take pole over the Mercedes of George Russell in second and the McLaren of Oscar Piastri in third. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were in fourth and fifth and the defending world champion Lando Norris in ninth.

Although he took seventh place, the championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start on the last row of the grid having taken a full set of new engine components, with Mercedes opting to do so at Monza because of the ample scope for overtaking at the circuit. They are hopeful he might comeback to as high as fifth place while Russell will be intent on making back a decent haul of points against his teammate.