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

Oscar Piastri starts tonight's Italian Grand Prix from sixth after copping a grid penalty during Saturday's qualifying session. Alpine's Pierre Gasly is a surprise pole sitter at Monza following a stunning result last night, while F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli starts from the back of the grid after Mercedes elected to add new power unit components to his car.Follow all the action of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix on the live blog below.Sun 6 Sep 2026 at 8:45pmSun 6 Sep 2026 at 8:45pmLive: Italian Grand Prix starting gridSun 6 Sep 2026 at 9:10pmSun 6 Sep 2026 at 9:10pmPiastri eyes off 'usually chaotic' start at Monza after grid penaltyOscar Piastri qualified third fastest for tonight's Italian Grand Prix.(Reuters)But an incident in Q2 last night, where the Australian was in the way of Kiwi Liam Lawson when the Red Bull driver was on a flying lap, led to the Aussie copping a three-place grid penalty.It was tough for Piastri, who had just come out of the pits and really had nowhere to go but be on the apex of the first corner when Lawson was trying to produce a quick lap.Piastri seemed resigned to the fact he was copping a penalty before it was handed down.“It was a tricky situation to manage. I was coming out of the pits and got told that Lawson and Verstappen were coming, but I kind of had to jump on the brakes pretty heavily to get out of Max’s way, and then I was just stuck in a very awkward spot with Liam.”Now starting from the third row, Piastri is hoping for a wild start tonight.The Australian said he did not believe the McLarens were as quick as Mercedes of Ferrari over longer runs, but was remaining optimistic he can gain positions.“Looking ahead to tomorrow, our long run pace isn't as quick as the Mercedes and the Ferraris, but the first few laps here are usually chaotic and the fastest car won't necessarily be the one leading after that. It could be an interesting one.”Sun 6 Sep 2026 at 9:00pmSun 6 Sep 2026 at 9:00pmRecap from last night's qualifyingMissed last night's qualifying session, or need a refresher on what happened at Monza?Tap the link below to catch up on Saturday's action.Sun 6 Sep 2026 at 8:50pmSun 6 Sep 2026 at 8:50pmWhat time does the F1 Italian Grand Prix begin?Here is when the lights will go out at Monza, wherever you are in Australia.11pm: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, ACT, Tasmania10:30pm: South Australia, Northern Territory9pm: Western AustraliaSun 6 Sep 2026 at 8:45pmSun 6 Sep 2026 at 8:45pmWelcome to the ABC Sport F1 blogBuonasera — Good evening, Australia.Welcome back to ABC Sport's live digital coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 championship season.One of the marquee events on the F1 calendar is here — the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.There is a sea of red at Ferrari's home race, but Mercedes and McLaren are the form teams heading into tonight's race.Tonight, Alpine's Pierre Gasly starts on pole position, while Piastri begins from sixth on the grid.Be part of the conversation, and let me know your thoughts on all things F1, in the comment section.