Monza moment 2.0 for Gasly

Pierre Gasly deserved this.

Not just because of his stunning performance in qualifying at Monza, or the fact he had to endure such a painful year at Alpine last season as the team prioritized the new regulations, but because of his history at this venue.

Six years ago, Gasly delivered one of the most emotional moments in recent Formula 1 history. Less than one week after the one year anniversary of his protege and friend Anthoine Hubert’s death at Spa-Francorchamps, Gasly took the first – and so far only – victory of his career.

On top of the emotion that was linked to the previous week, it was a win that came as he tried to rebuild his career with AlphaTauri, having been demoted from Red Bull after just 12 races of the previous season. To win for the Italian team, at Monza, as a Milan resident, was a special moment.

And yet, as Gasly sat on the iconic podium and was clearly overcome by what he’d just achieved, he did not have the full moment he deserved. The COVID-19 pandemic meant it was a race that was held behind closed doors, and instead of looking out on a sea of thousands of fans below him, he sat alone above an empty pit straight.

On Saturday, he got to pull up to the No. 1 pit board as the pole-sitter and not only enjoy the adulation of his team and respect of a number of paddock peers, but also the full crowd in the grandstands.

That it was a long time coming made Gasly's first pole all the sweeter. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

“It’s been a long time,” Gasly said. “It’s been a long time since I did a pole position [in Formula 2]. Formula 1 is quite tough because you work as hard as you can to try to put your best performance out there and in nine years I was never really in a position to get a shot at it.

“I think the closest I got was in Qatar some years ago, but never really had the car that allowed me to fight up there. Today I think, to be fair, was probably the first time and it’s just such a nice feeling knowing that you are in the mix. All these last few hundredths you’re going to squeeze out of that last lap potentially are going to be rewarded, because sometimes one of those laps will barely get us to Q3.

“Today I was very lucky and I’m super grateful to have had the car that I had and gave me the chance. But when I passed the line, honestly, it was the same as last time. I just shouted. I have no idea what I said, but I probably made absolutely no sense. I just screamed on the radio and just pure happiness, a lot of emotions, and extremely happy for my team.”

In 2020, Gasly screamed “WHAT DID WE JUST DO?!” on his team radio. On this occasion, Gasly was a little more restrained, shouting “Let’s go! Been waiting for that one!”

The wait is the second-longest in F1 history, as only Sergio Perez – with 219 starts – taking more races to secure his first pole position than Gasly at the 191st attempt. For both drivers, there hadn’t been many near-misses, and just as he did when winning at Monza, the Frenchman showed his ability to take his opportunity when it came along.

“I’m really, really happy, really proud to have seized this chance and to make it work,” he said. “It was a heck of a lap. We’ve been on it since the first lap in Q1; it’s been feeling good. And, yeah, nine years waiting for that moment, that feeling. I got my first win here in Monza and now I get my first pole position, so definitely a special place to me.

“Monza is a bit of a unique track. We know it, but no, it definitely exceeded all our expectations. But since this morning, I think the pace has been better. We managed to make a good step from P3 to quali, and I think slightly bigger than the other guys around us.

“Straight from Q1, we were a bit surprised to see us up there, as our target was Q3. But then I think I was P1 in Q1, then P4 in Q2. I didn’t want to get too excited, but then first run in Q3, I think I was third again and then I felt, ‘OK, I really have a shot at it.’

“And as I said, it’s probably the first time I really get a true chance and I tried to leave everything I had out there. It was quite hectic through Ascari and Parabolica. I don’t think there was definitely much in there and, crossing the line, I knew it would be one of these laps that would be rewarded, but to the point to get the pole position, I didn’t expect that.”

For the first time feeling like he had a car to fight for pole, Gasly was determined to leave nothing on the table. And he didn't. Peter Fox/Getty Images

The only downside of a shock pole position is its relation to the final outcome on Sunday afternoon. Convert it into a strong result and it remains as special as it felt when crossing the line, but have a bad start or make a mistake and it can be an achievement that goes unrewarded.

While Gasly jokingly called it “a problem for tomorrow,” he says he will leave no stone unturned overnight to give himself the best chance of turning his starting position into an equally special result.

“It’s going to be obviously great. I’m in the best position, right? I’m starting first, got no one ahead of me”, he said. “I’ve just got to focus on my driving, and I know what it looks like having no one [ahead] around this track, so that’s a good advantage and probably the best place to do it.

“But it’s going to be a long race. I actually felt quite good. Obviously not to the pace of these guys around us, but we seem to have picked up more pace from yesterday to today. So we’ll obviously give our best shot and see what we can get out of it. But I’m excited.”

Formula 1 is a sport that offers fewer opportunities for significant upsets given the reliance on car pace as much as human performance, but after delivering one such surprise, Gasly has every right to be excited, and has given fans reason to as well.