The 2026 Italian Grand Prix will be remembered not only for Kimi Antonelli’s extraordinary victory from the back of the grid, but also for Pierre Gasly’s unexpected and spectacular pole position. Yet an unusual detail surrounding Alpine’s telemetry has made analysing exactly how the French driver produced that performance considerably more difficult.
The strength of the Mercedes power unit was expected to become particularly evident on Monza’s high-speed layout, and that advantage duly emerged in both qualifying and the race. What few could have predicted, however, was that the fastest Mercedes-powered car on Saturday would be an Alpine capable of beating even the works Mercedes to pole.
Alpine telemetry data missing during key section at Monza
Many have already examined Pierre Gasly’s fastest qualifying lap in an attempt to understand how he constructed the 1m21.786s effort that secured his maiden Formula 1 pole. One unusual feature has attracted particular attention: sections of the publicly available telemetry appear to be missing from the end of the Curva Biassono section until almost the exit of the Variante della Roggia.
Without taking anything away from the talent of the Rouen-born driver, the anomaly appears particularly interesting because it was not limited to qualifying. Questions remain over the pattern across Alpine’s entire Italian Grand Prix weekend.
There is little to assess from Gasly’s FP1 running because Paul Aron replaced him for the opening practice session. In FP2, however, Gasly’s telemetry trace appeared complete and consistent as he recorded the 14th-fastest time.
From FP3 onwards, the situation changed. The data became incomplete in the same section of the circuit, while both Alpine cars suddenly moved up the order to sit just behind the leading teams.
The same apparent gaps also affected Franco Colapinto from FP3 onwards, again in the same part of the lap and continuing through the subsequent sessions.
Gasly and Colapinto data reportedly affected into the race
The unusual pattern did not end with qualifying. Telemetry traces for both Alpine drivers also appeared affected during the race before becoming complete again surprisingly late in the Grand Prix. Gasly’s data was the first to return to normal, at around Lap 47, with Colapinto’s following at approximately Lap 50.
It is difficult to establish what caused such an unusual transmission pattern. A technical issue affecting one car would hardly be unprecedented. The same problem affecting both cars simultaneously would be more unusual, while an almost simultaneous return to normal operation near the end of the race adds another element to the puzzle.
The timing is particularly notable given how unexpected Alpine’s performance had been. Gasly took pole ahead of George Russell, while Colapinto also reached Q3, as examined in more detail in GP-News.net’s analysis of why Pierre Gasly and Alpine were fast enough for pole at Monza.
What is behind the missing Alpine telemetry?
The gaps make it difficult to establish precisely why Alpine performed so strongly at Monza or how much Mercedes’ powerful 2026 power unit contributed to the Anglo-French team’s step forward, because the affected telemetry cannot be analysed in the usual continuous manner.
The unusual data pattern therefore inevitably leads to questions.
What if Mercedes, as has already been suggested on several occasions, is not routinely using the full potential of its power unit?
What if Alpine’s qualifying performance resulted from being allowed by Mercedes to unlock more of the potential of the Brixworth-designed power unit?
What if some of the relevant data had been deliberately concealed?
And if so, why would Alpine be the team involved, and for what purpose?
There is currently no answer to those questions.
Mercedes engine performance remains central to Alpine’s 2026 progress
What is beyond doubt is that Mercedes’ technical expertise has repeatedly demonstrated how effectively its engineers can exploit regulations and manage performance advantages. The challenge for rivals is determining exactly where those gains are being created and how much performance remains available in reserve at any given point of a weekend.
Alpine’s switch to Mercedes power has already played an important part in its improvement this season, with the wider impact examined in GP-News.net’s analysis of how Alpine’s Mercedes engine switch transformed its 2026 campaign.
At Monza, however, the A526 also featured aerodynamic solutions specifically suited to the Temple of Speed. Among them was an unusual rear-wing concept that formed part of the package behind Gasly’s one-lap performance, including the reverse-opening rear wing used for the Italian GP.
That means there is no basis for reducing Alpine’s surprise pole to the power unit alone. Car set-up, aerodynamics, tow management, tyre preparation and Pierre Gasly’s execution all contributed to the final lap time.
Nevertheless, the incomplete telemetry adds an intriguing complication to the analysis of one of the most surprising qualifying results of the 2026 season. Monza was expected to expose the strength of the Mercedes power unit. Instead, it also produced a question that the publicly available data, for now, does not conclusively answer.
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