Winners and losers from Italian Grand Prix F1 qualifying 2026
Pierre Gasly secured a surprising pole position for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, marking a significant milestone for both the driver and the Alpine team. Meanwhile, Red Bull's Max Verstappen struggled with technical issues, highlighting the competitive volatility of the current F1 season.
Why it matters
This result represents a major shift in the 2026 F1 competitive landscape, showcasing the impact of mid-season technical upgrades on team performance.
Formula 1 Winners and losers from Italian Grand Prix F1 qualifying 2026 The Race Team 05 Sep 2026 — 6 min read Italian Grand Prix qualifying produced Formula 1’s most surprising dry weather polesitter in over a decade.
But apart from him, there weren’t many in the pitlane with reasons to be cheerful.
A podium is worth 15 points and a pole is worth 'nothing' - Pierre Gasly has gained a pole and lost a podium in the span of this weekend, and yet it feels like the loss of 15 points is an acceptable trade for his F1 CV.
He's now an F1 winner and an F1 polesitter. That feels right. That feels significant. Regardless of what Sunday brings, he's poleman number 109 in F1's history books.
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