Formula 1 (F1) headed into Qualifying at the 2026 Italian GP with Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren all showing pace across practice at Monza. Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari one-two in FP1, before George Russell put Mercedes on top in both FP2 and FP3.
Grid penalties had already complicated the picture. Mercedes fitted Kimi Antonelli’s car with a fifth internal combustion engine, fourth control electronics unit and fourth energy store, giving him a notional 30-place penalty. Williams also changed several power unit components on Alex Albon’s car, leaving him with a heavy grid drop.
With Russell looking strong, Ferrari still in the fight, and the tow set to play a major role around the Temple of Speed, the field headed into Qualifying knowing timing, track position and teamwork could prove decisive.
Q1
Q1 began with Liam Lawson heading out first, followed by Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman. Most drivers immediately chose the soft tyre, while Lawson started on mediums and briefly punched a hole in the air for the cars behind him.
Several drivers stayed in the pits at the start, including Yuki Tsunoda, as Racing Bulls worked on a reported fuel leak. Mercedes and Alpine also delayed their first runs. Lando Norris reported a lack of power and then brake concerns over the radio, although he stayed out and completed a lap.
Max Verstappen set the early pace ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, before the later runners shuffled the order. Mercedes sent George Russell out on mediums, while Kimi Antonelli used softs and moved into second. Alpine then made a strong impression, with Pierre Gasly going fastest and Franco Colapinto climbing to third after the team used the tow effectively.
Gasly stays top as Alonso hits trouble
With four minutes remaining, Lawson returned on softs and improved to tenth, although the lack of a tow cost him time. Several others went back out on used tyres, including the McLaren drivers, Leclerc, Antonelli, Arvid Lindblad and Colapinto.
Fernando Alonso climbed out of his car while sitting last, suggesting an issue with the Aston Martin and confirming his Q1 exit. Piastri then locked up and abandoned his lap, leaving him ninth and under some pressure as the final times came in.
Norris improved late with help from a tow from Antonelli, jumping to third, while Lindblad moved up to fifth. Gasly stayed fastest at the end of Q1, ahead of Verstappen and Norris.
Tsunoda, Albon, Bottas, Perez, Alonso and Stroll were eliminated from the F1 2026 Italian GP Qualifying session.
Q2
The tow battle at the F1 2026 Italian GP Qualifying session resumed immediately in Q2, with Liam Lawson heading out in front of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz latching onto the Red Bull pair. Verstappen used scrubbed softs for his first run and set the early benchmark with a 1:22.573, while Lawson ended up three tenths back and Sainz sat a second off the pace.
Mercedes then sent Kimi Antonelli out on fresh softs to tow George Russell, with Oliver Bearman slotting in behind them. McLaren managed to place Lando Norris between the two Ferrari cars, disrupting Lewis Hamilton’s ideal preparation.
Russell briefly moved to the top, but Pierre Gasly then beat both Mercedes cars to go fastest. McLaren soon took over, with Oscar Piastri leading Norris by just 0.050s. Gasly sat third ahead of Russell, Antonelli and Arvid Lindblad, while Hamilton, on used tyres, found himself in the drop zone.
Verstappen sat only tenth after the first runs, but improved to fifth after Lawson led him out again for another tow. Lawson could not make the same progress and remained 13th, leaving him in trouble before the final attempts.
Ferrari scrape through as Lawson loses out
The last runs brought heavy traffic. Leclerc headed out first, with Hamilton close behind, before Bearman, Lindblad, Antonelli and Russell followed. Verstappen then towed Lawson, but the pair caught a queue of cars, with Piastri appearing to impede Lawson while trying to move aside.
Lawson stayed 13th and dropped out, while Leclerc could only manage ninth without a tow. Hamilton improved to tenth, just 0.001s ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, allowing Ferrari to scrape into Q3 by the narrowest of margins.
Bortoleto, Bearman, Nico Hülkenberg, Lawson, Sainz and Esteban Ocon were eliminated in Q2.
Q3
Antonelli had topped Q2, but his role changed at the start of Q3 as Mercedes sent him out on used tyres to tow Russell. Russell tucked in behind his teammate, while Hamilton ran much further back from the rest of the pack and missed out on a tow.
Leclerc had Verstappen ahead of him, giving Ferrari a better slipstream option for the opening runs. Everyone used new tyres except Antonelli, who focused on helping Russell rather than setting a representative lap.
Russell set the first benchmark with a 1:21.929, but the gaps stayed incredibly tight. Piastri slotted into second, just 0.037s behind, while Gasly went third for Alpine, only 0.035s further back. Leclerc followed just 0.003s behind Gasly, with Verstappen, Norris, Lindblad, Hamilton and Colapinto completing the order after the first attempts.
Gasly delivers a stunning surprise during F1 2026 Italian GP Qualifying session
McLaren sent Piastri out first for the final runs, with Norris following behind him. Verstappen headed the next group ahead of Antonelli, Russell and Lindblad, while Leclerc ran ahead of Hamilton and Gasly led Colapinto.
Piastri locked up and abandoned his lap, leaving Norris without a tow. The McLaren driver lost four tenths in the first sector and could not improve, while several others also struggled to find time.
Russell produced a purple middle sector and looked set to fight for pole, but Gasly delivered when it mattered. The Alpine driver improved through the first two sectors and then crossed the line fastest, snatching provisional pole in a major surprise at Monza.
Hamilton could only manage fifth, while Leclerc ended up fourth as Gasly put Alpine at the top in Q3.
