Live: Piastri starts sixth after penalty, surprise pole sitter for Italian GP

Tonight's Italian Grand Prix at Monza begins with Oscar Piastri starting from sixth place, after receiving a three-place grid penalty during Saturday's qualifying session. Alpine's Pierre Gasly surprisingly takes the pole position, while F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli starts from the back of the grid due to Mercedes adding new power unit components to his car.

Piastri qualified third fastest for the race, but was penalized due to an incident in Q2 where he obstructed Kiwi driver Liam Lawson during a flying lap. Piastri admitted that the situation was tough for him, as he had to make an immediate and heavy braking maneuver to avoid colliding with Lawson and Verstappen. Frustrated by the situation, Piastri expressed his hope for a wild start in the race, believing that the chaotic first few laps at Monza could see the fastest car not necessarily leading the race.

He also mentioned that his team's long run pace might not be as quick as Mercedes and Ferrari's, but the chaotic start could lead to an interesting race.