Russell starts second as Gasly takes surprise Italian GP pole

George Russell will look to close the gap on Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli when the Italian Grand Prix gets underway here on Sunday, with his Mercedes teammate starting from the back of the grid.

Russell will start second, however, behind surprise polesitter Pierre Gasly, who stunned the field by securing the top spot for the first time in qualifying on Saturday.

The Briton will also have Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton starting immediately behind him on the second row, with the home team set to enjoy the backing of thousands of passionate, red-clad tifosi at Monza.

Russell is second in the drivers' standings, level on points with Hamilton and 59 points behind Antonelli, who is bidding to become the youngest Formula 1 world champion.

Antonelli, 20, will start from the back after Mercedes opted to replace his car's power unit as a precaution against potential reliability problems later in the season. The change came with a hefty grid penalty.

Lando Norris, meanwhile, will start eighth as he bids for a third consecutive victory to revive his title defence.

The McLaren driver won the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix and has reduced Antonelli's championship advantage to 83 points.

With Antonelli starting at the rear, Russell has a chance to make significant gains in the title race, although Gasly's unexpected pole and the Ferrari cars behind him will make the challenge at the high-speed Monza circuit particularly demanding.