Pierre Gasly Claims Shock Maiden Pole at Monza, Beating George Russell After Pre-Session Chess Match

Pierre Gasly delivered one of the most stunning moments of the Formula 1 season on Saturday at Monza, securing a shock pole position at the very circuit where he claimed his sole grand prix victory back in 2020. The French driver edged out pre-session favorite George Russell by a mere 0.060 seconds in the closing minutes of qualifying, earning the first pole position of his nine-year F1 career.

Chess Rivalry Adds Narrative Twist to Qualifying Battle

The on-track duel carried an intriguing subplot: the pair had just finished an online chess game minutes before the session began. Russell revealed the lighthearted rivalry during the post-qualifying press conference.

“Massive congrats to Pierre because that’s an incredible performance,” Russell said at the post-qualifying press conference. “We were actually finishing a game of chess about 15 minutes before qualifying and he beat me there, and I thought, ‘Well, I think I’ll beat you in qualifying,’ and here we are, he’s ahead of me again.



“So, yeah, huge congrats to him. Of course, I was disappointed not to get the pole position.”

Drivers Discover Shared Chess Obsession

Gasly explained that the two drivers only discovered their mutual passion for chess during Friday’s drivers’ briefing. They quickly exchanged profiles on Chess.com and played multiple games leading up to qualifying.

“Well, I mean, since the [drivers’] briefing last night, I figured out that he’s obsessed with chess,” Gasly said. “I am obsessed with chess. We have a few in the paddock, a few drivers, to be obsessed with it. So, we’ve just exchanged our IDs on Chess.com and we’ve had a little game going on, one yesterday, another one that carried on to today.”

Gasly entered qualifying with confidence boosted by his chess performance, though his performance coach Ben Thorne offered a prescient warning.

“And I must say, before the quali, I felt pretty confident because I was picking piece after piece. And, yeah, again, for the fun story, Ben [Thorne, performance coach] told me, ‘Well, you’re getting George here, but he’s going to get you in a few minutes.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, fuck off.’



“Turned out that, yeah, it worked out well. So, yeah, it’s been fun. I think we are very competitive and, whether it’s on the track or off the track, we do need to find our little battles everywhere we can.”

Chess Growing Popularity in F1 Paddock

The chess rivalry between Gasly and Russell reflects a broader trend in the Formula 1 paddock. Ferrari teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are known to regularly play against each other, while Carlos Sainz is also recognized as a keen player.

Gasly’s pole position at Monza marks a significant career milestone and sets up a fascinating Italian Grand Prix, with the Alpine driver starting from the front of the grid at a circuit that holds special memories from his 2020 victory with AlphaTauri.