F1 Italian GP starting grid: Four penalties change Monza order after qualifying

News Summary

• Oscar Piastri lost three grid places after being penalized for impeding Liam Lawson in Q2.
• Liam Lawson, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Alexander Albon all received back-of-the-grid penalties after exceeding power-unit component allocations.
• Pierre Gasly remains on pole, while Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton move up to the second row alongside Max Verstappen.

The starting grid for the 2026 Italian GP underwent major changes after qualifying at Monza, with penalties for Oscar Piastri, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alexander Albon and Liam Lawson reshaping the order.

Pierre Gasly retained pole position for Alpine after producing a sensational 1:21.786 in Q3, beating George Russell by 0.060s. But the biggest changes came behind the front row, where Piastri’s three-place penalty promoted both Ferrari drivers and Max Verstappen.

The three power-unit penalties, meanwhile, pushed Antonelli, Albon and Lawson to the back of the field despite all three having qualified ahead of several drivers.

Piastri drops from third to sixth after impeding Lawson

Piastri originally qualified third, just 0.180s behind Gasly, but the McLaren driver was handed a three-place grid penalty by the stewards after being found to have impeded Lawson during Q2.

The incident occurred at the first chicane, where Lawson was completing a qualifying lap. The stewards determined that Piastri had impeded the Red Bull driver, resulting in the three-place drop.

As a result, Piastri falls from third to sixth on the starting grid.

That promotes Charles Leclerc from fourth to third, Lewis Hamilton from fifth to fourth and Max Verstappen from sixth to fifth. Piastri remains ahead of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who moves into seventh.

The penalty also has a knock-on effect on Lando Norris, who qualified ninth but moves up to eighth because of Antonelli’s back-of-the-grid sanction.

Antonelli takes 30-place penalty for power-unit changes

Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli qualified seventh on the road but was always expected to start at the back after Mercedes elected to introduce multiple new power-unit components at Monza.

Mercedes fitted Antonelli’s car with a fifth internal combustion engine, fourth energy store and fourth control electronics unit, with each exceeding the relevant 2026 allocation and carrying a 10-place penalty.

The resulting 30-place cumulative penalty means Antonelli starts from the back of the grid despite qualifying ahead of both McLaren drivers’ original positions and several other cars.

Mercedes deliberately chose Monza as the venue for the penalty because the circuit offers comparatively strong overtaking opportunities. Antonelli had already confirmed before the weekend that the team considered the Italian GP a suitable place to refresh his power-unit pool for the remainder of the championship.

Albon receives 20-place penalty

Alexander Albon also starts from the back after Williams exceeded his 2026 power-unit allocation.

The team introduced a fifth ICE and fourth control electronics unit, with each component triggering a 10-place grid penalty. That produced a 20-place cumulative sanction for the Williams driver.

Albon had qualified 18th with a 1:24.356, meaning the penalty effectively sends him to the rear of the grid.

Lawson gets the biggest penalty: 35 places

Liam Lawson carries the largest penalty of the weekend after Red Bull introduced five power-unit components beyond the relevant allocations.

The New Zealander received:

• 5 places for the ICE;
• 5 places for the turbocharger;
• 5 places for the exhaust;
• 10 places for the MGU-K;
• 10 places for the PU-ANC.

That adds up to a 35-place grid penalty, although the practical effect is a back-of-the-grid start because the total sanction exceeds the maximum number of positions available.

Lawson qualified 14th with a 1:22.821, but the penalty sends him behind the other drivers affected by grid drops.

The power-unit situation is particularly unusual because Lawson is driving the Red Bull previously assigned to Isack Hadjar. Under the applicable rules, the car’s component usage history carries over, meaning the allocation status accumulated earlier in the season affects Lawson’s starting position.

2026 Italian GP starting grid

For the full qualifying report and starting-grid context, see Gasly stuns F1 and takes historic pole position for Alpine at Italian GP.

FAQ

1. Why was Oscar Piastri penalized at the Italian GP?
Piastri received a three-place grid penalty after the stewards ruled that he impeded Liam Lawson during Q2. He therefore drops from third to sixth.

2. Why are Antonelli, Albon and Lawson starting at the back?
All three exceeded their 2026 power-unit component allocations. Antonelli received a 30-place penalty, Albon 20 places and Lawson 35 places, with the cumulative sanctions resulting in back-of-the-grid starts.

3. Who starts on the front row at the 2026 Italian GP?
Pierre Gasly starts from pole position alongside George Russell. Gasly set a 1:21.786 to beat Russell by 0.060s.