Pierre Gasly admitted there is “something special” about Monza, having ended a nine-year “chase” to secure a maiden Formula 1 pole position at the site of his only and so far only Grand Prix victory.
The Frenchman scored a shock P1 in qualifying for tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix, after an enthralling qualifying session which saw him leapfrog the big hitters of Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and former team Red Bull.
It was the perfect tonic for Gasly and the Enstone-based squad, having been left reeling back yesterday’s decision to overturn their Right to Appeal result of the Monaco Grand Prix, resulting in the loss of his third place from the race.
The unlikely result was most certainly one full of additional nostalgia and poignancy, given Monza was where, in 2020, he took his maiden victory at AlphaTauri, a year on from his axing from Red Bull.
Speaking after taking his first-ever top spot on the grid, Gasly acknowledged the coincidence of two of the biggest ‘first-evers’ you can achieve in F1 coming at the same track.
“It was amazing – it was an incredible qualifying from the first lap in Q1. I felt very good in the car, and was trying to chip a little bit away every single session,” he said.
“And then yeah, at the end, it felt like a very good lap.”
Gasly concluded: “But I’m so happy. It’s been nine years trying to chase and get the opportunity to get a pole position, and to win my first race at Monza, and get my first pole position at this track – I think there is something special around here.”
Gasly will be hoping that the Mercedes power unit and a shrewd strategy will see him hold on to take another victory.
READ MORE – Pierre Gasly takes shock pole position for F1 Italian GP
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