Pierre Gasly claims Italian GP pole as George Russell finishes second

Pierre Gasly secured the first pole position of his Formula 1 career during qualifying for the Italian GP at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. George Russell will start from second place after being denied the top spot by Gasly’s late effort. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff alleged that an incident involving Max Verstappen during the final run compromised Russell’s lap time. Russell stated that Verstappen braked heavily into Turn 11, which disrupted the field's preparation for their final attempts. The FIA did not investigate or summon Verstappen for the incident. Verstappen is set to start Sunday’s race from fifth position on the grid. While Russell remains in a strong starting position, the Mercedes camp has expressed frustration regarding the circumstances surrounding the final qualifying laps.

• 9:56 PMYahoo Sports — Max Verstappen factor emerges after George Russell misses out on Italian GP pole