Hamilton charged to a track-record time of 1 minute, 31.304 seconds, beating the Red Bull of Max Verstappen by .563 for his fifth straight pole position.
Hamilton's time of 1 minute, 33.279 seconds was the fastest of the latest Formula One round so far and .776 better than his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who had been quickest in the first two sessions.
But Hamilton's focus was elsewhere as he stood on the podium wearing a T-shirt featuring the words “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor." The blunt message was in capital letters on the front of his black shirt.
The first F1 race on a Mugello track with super-fast corners usually used by MotoGP riders was incident-packed throughout.
While Hamilton clinched a record-extending 95th pole, it was hard luck for Bottas. He now trails Hamilton 7-2 this season in poles all won by Mercedes.
Quickest in both sessions on Friday, he beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just .017 with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton .083 back from Bottas in third in warm and sunny conditions.
His confidence needs boosting because he trails Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton by 47 points in the standings, and not won a race since the season-opener in Austria.
3000 fans were present for the first time at the ninth Formula One race this season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has signed for Racing Point.
It was Gasly's first-ever win in Formula One. The 24-year-old Frenchman finished 0.415 seconds ahead of McLaren driver Carlos Sainz and 3.358 ahead of Racing Point's Lance Stroll on a surreal-looking podium.
The Alpine F1 team will still use Renault's engines but drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, who is French, will have a car decked out in blue, white and red instead of yellow and black.
Hamilton looks on course to extend his championship lead, which stands at 47 points from Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and 50 from Bottas.
Bottas was 0.229 seconds faster than Carlos Sainz and 0.323 quicker than Lando Norris after an impressive showing from the McLaren pair.
The championship leader finished .262 ahead of Bottas, who was quickest in first practice. McLaren driver Lando Norris was third, .897 slower than Hamilton.
The Finnish driver’s best lap was .245 seconds quicker than Hamilton and .797 ahead of Red Bull driver Alexander Albon.
Hamilton's fifth win from seven races also extended his championship lead over Verstappen to 47 points with Bottas drifting back in third. Hamilton is odds-on to win a seventh title to tie Schumacher's record.
Hamilton is primed to extend his championship lead, which stands at 37 points over Red Bull's Max Verstappen and 43 over Bottas.
The Formula One champion was 0.23 seconds faster than Renault's Esteban Ocon and 0.39 quicker than McLaren's Lando Norris.
None of the Dutch driver's legions of adoring fans crossed the border from the Netherlands to witness it, though. As with every Formula One race so far this season, no spectators are allowed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bahrain Grand Prix on Nov. 29 will be held as usual on the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) circuit that usually hosts races.
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