Alpine's Pierre Gasly secured his first career pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, beating Mercedes driver George Russell to the top spot by just 0.060 seconds at Monza.
In the first year of the new 2026 technical regulations, the season has largely been dictated by the frontrunning Mercedes pairing of Russell and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Gasly's result at Monza drew immediate and overwhelming support across social media. Fans celebrated the milestone moment for the Frenchman, who claimed his maiden grand prix victory at the same circuit in 2020.
"I cannot believe it. No red flags, no crashes, no penalties. Just straight-up faster than everyone else. Allez Gasly!" one fan commented on Reddit, while another added: "Liked by Pierre Gasly."
"I didn't think I could be so happy for someone outside of my team (Ferrari). That was just an insane lap he pulled together. Congrats Pierre," another comment read, and someone else posted: "I'm not even an Alpine fan this season but OMG that was peak performance from Gasly. If he wins tomorrow, that would be historic."
The pole position came after Gasly lost his third-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix following an FIA International Court of Appeal ruling. "Lose P3 Monaco. Win Monza pole. WORTH IT," one fan commented, while another added: "Gasly heard his podium was taken from him and decided to get another one."
Someone else posted: "What a way to prove himself after losing a podium in Monaco. Happy for him."
Further reactions included: "Tomorrow we are all Alpine fans. Pierre Gasly, you took that rescinded podium personally," and "He's been quietly consistent for years now even though the Alpine is average. If they put him back in any of the fast cars, I think he'd give any one of the drivers a run for their money."
