Gasly becomes 14th current F1 driver and 109th in history to claim pole

News Summary

• Pierre Gasly became the 109th different driver to claim pole position in Formula 1, doing so for the first time at the Italian GP in Monza.
• The Alpine driver is also the 14th polesitter among the current 2026 F1 driver roster, joining names such as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.
• Gasly took his maiden pole in his 190th Grand Prix, beating George Russell by just 0.060s with a 1:21.786 lap.

Pierre Gasly reached another major milestone in his Formula 1 career at the 2026 Italian GP. The Alpine driver secured his first career pole position at Monza on Saturday, becoming the 109th different polesitter in F1 history.

The achievement came in Gasly’s 190th Grand Prix, at the same circuit where he scored his only previous F1 victory, in 2020 with AlphaTauri. This time, the Frenchman produced a 1:21.786 to edge Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.060s.

The result also placed Gasly in an exclusive group among the drivers competing in the 2026 championship. He is now the 14th driver on the current F1 roster to have taken a pole position.

Gasly joins 14 current-grid polesitters

Gasly’s first pole means the current 2026 driver roster contains 14 drivers who have started at least one F1 race from the front of the grid.

The group, ranked by total career poles, is:

Gasly therefore becomes the 14th current-roster driver with a pole, while eight other drivers from the regular 2026 lineup have yet to start a Grand Prix from first place: Alexander Albon, Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad and Esteban Ocon.

At Monza, however, Hadjar is not competing because he is injured, with Yuki Tsunoda taking his place. Tsunoda has yet to claim an F1 pole, meaning the actual Italian GP field contains nine drivers without a career pole.

Gasly’s achievement also comes just days after a difficult period for the Alpine driver. The FIA International Court of Appeal reinstated his two five-second penalties from the Monaco GP, dropping him from third to seventh in the final classification and costing him nine championship points. GRANDE PRÊMIO’s report on the FIA ruling.

109 different polesitters in F1 history

Gasly is the 109th different driver to take pole position in a Formula 1 World Championship event.

He is the latest addition to a list that stretches back to Giuseppe Farina, who took the first pole in F1 history at the 1950 British GP.

The complete list below follows the established ranking by the order in which each driver first achieved pole, from Gasly’s No. 109 back to Farina’s No. 1:

The list reflects the historical ranking of drivers by the sequence in which they first achieved an F1 pole. Gasly’s addition at Monza takes the total to 109 different polesitters.

A milestone nine years in the making

Gasly’s first pole came after a lengthy wait. The Frenchman made his F1 debut in 2017 and had previously reached the front row only on limited occasions, but had never converted that qualifying pace into pole.

Monza provided the breakthrough.

The 1:21.786 was enough to beat Russell by six hundredths of a second, while Oscar Piastri initially qualified third before a three-place grid penalty for impeding Liam Lawson dropped the McLaren driver to sixth on the starting grid. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton therefore moved up to the second row, with Max Verstappen promoted to fifth.

Gasly’s pole is particularly significant for Alpine. It is the team’s first pole since the current Alpine identity was established in 2021 and marks another major milestone in the team’s recent development.

The Frenchman had already warned before qualifying that the 2026 regulations could change the character of Monza, particularly because of energy management on the long straights. Gasly’s warning about Monza under the 2026 rules

Now he faces the more difficult task: converting his first pole into a second F1 victory at the same circuit where he achieved his first.

FAQ

Who is the 109th F1 driver to take pole position?

Pierre Gasly became the 109th different driver to claim an F1 pole when he topped qualifying for the 2026 Italian GP at Monza.

How many current F1 drivers have taken pole position?

There are 14 drivers on the regular 2026 F1 roster who have taken at least one pole position, including Gasly. Yuki Tsunoda, who replaces the injured Isack Hadjar at Monza, has not yet taken an F1 pole.

How many races did Gasly need to take his first F1 pole?

Gasly secured his maiden pole in his 190th Grand Prix, nearly nine years after making his F1 debut.