George Russell admitted that he arrived at the classification of the Italian GP of Formula 1 this Saturday (5) believing he would beat Pierre Gasly. However, the Frenchman had already gotten the better of the Mercedes driver minutes earlier, in a game of chess. The joke ended up gaining an unexpected meaning, as Gasly secured pole position in Monza, beating Russell by just eight hundredths of a second.
Read more F1: Piastri loses three positions on the grid after incident with Lawson
Russell said that the two were playing chess about 15 minutes before the start of qualifying. The Alpine driver won the game, but the Briton believed he would have his revenge on the track. “First of all, many congratulations to Pierre, because this is an incredible performance,” said the Mercedes driver after qualifying. “Actually, we were finishing a game of chess about 15 minutes before qualifying, and he beat me there.”
“And I thought: ‘Well, I think I’m going to beat you in qualifying,’ and here we are: he’s in front of me again. So, many congratulations to him. Of course, I was disappointed not to get pole position. It was a bit confusing with Verstappen opening the lap; I did my lap very close. But Pierre and Alpine were super fast since Q1. So, I’m happy to see them getting a good result.”
Read more F1: Haas highlights car evolution before the race in Monza
The pole was also Gasly’s first career pole and ended a 29-year drought for French drivers, since Jean Alesi’s pole for Benetton at the same circuit. In addition, it was Alpine’s first pole.
Read more F1: Verstappen loses performance in Monza after new mechanical problem in Red Bull
