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.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Italian Grand Prix.
What is the starting grid?
1. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
8. Lando Norris (McLaren)
9. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
11. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
12. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
13. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
14. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
15. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
16. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
17. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
18. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
19. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
20. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
21. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)*
22. Alex Albon (Williams)*
*Will start back of the grid due to engine penalty
When is the Italian Grand Prix?
Time BST
Sunday 6 September
- Race: 2pm
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Italian Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 12:30pm (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action from Monza on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
In the United States, every practice, qualifying and race session is streamed on Apple TV this year. You can stream Apple TV for FREE, with Apple TV’s seven-day free trial.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch, then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help.
Driver standings ahead of Italian GP
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 242 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 183 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 183 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 159 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 155 points
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 112 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 106 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 71 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 51 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 35 points
11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 25 points
12. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 19 points
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 18 points
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 10 points
15. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 6 points
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 6 points
17. Alex Albon (Williams) - 5 points
18. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 3 points
19. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 3 points
20. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) - 0 points
21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 0 points
23. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 0 points
Constructor standings ahead of Italian GP
1. Mercedes - 425 points
2. Ferrari - 338 points
3. McLaren - 265 points
4. Red Bull - 189 points
5. Racing Bulls - 70 points
6. Alpine - 54 points
7. Haas - 21 points
8. Audi - 16 points
9. Williams - 11 points
10. Aston Martin - 3 points
11. Cadillac - 0 points
What is the 2026 race calendar?
ROUND 13 - ITALY
Monza Circuit - 4-6 September
ROUND 14 - SPAIN (Madrid)
Circuito de Madring - 11-13 September
ROUND 15 - AZERBAIJAN
Baku City Circuit - 25-27 September
ROUND 16 - MALAYSIA/BAHRAIN
Sepang International Circuit - 2-4 October
ROUND 17 - SINGAPORE (sprint weekend)
Marina Bay Street Circuit - 9-11 October
ROUND 18 - UNITED STATES
Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 23-25 October
ROUND 19 - MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 30 October-1 November
ROUND 20 - BRAZIL
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 6-8 November
ROUND 21 - LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit - 19-21 November
ROUND 22 - QATAR
Lusail International Circuit - 27-29 November
ROUND 23 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 4-6 December
Read MoreLando Norris reveals ‘opportunities to gamble’ on F1 career before McLaren extension
Unique Michael Schumacher tribute involving Sebastian Vettel announced by Ferrari for Italian GP
Franco Colapinto signs new Alpine deal as 2027 F1 grid takes shape
