Charles Leclerc claimed pole for the Monaco Grand Prix with a superb lap on the streets of Monte Carlo for Ferrari. He beat his team-mate Carlos Sainz into second, with Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen in third and fourth.
Mercedes struggled with their car a handful on the bumpy circuit, George Russell qualifying in sixth and Lewis Hamilton in eighth. Hamilton was disappointed he was unable to improve on his final lap after the session ended with a red flag when Pérez crashed out. Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren.
Leclerc went out first to set the pace on his first hot run in Q3, pushing hard with the times having improved throughout the session as the track rubbered-in. He went quickest with a time of 1 min 11.376 sec — Leclerc was completely hooked up, flying over the lap using every inch of track. It was magnificent, a full two-tenths clear of his team-mate Sainz.
The final runs were set to be dramatic but with 30 seconds remaining and Leclerc on track to likely even improve his time, Pérez went into the barrier at Portier and was then hit by Sainz. A red flag was immediately issued ending the session.
There was a chance Verstappen might have improved but it is likely the Ferrari driver had enough to hold the pole he had by then won. The flag also prevented Hamilton’s attempt to improve his time and he had been up on his previous lap enjoying a set of new soft tyres.
This is the pole the Monegasque driver wanted, especially after the bitter disappointment he suffered last year. Then he was unable to start from the pole he had claimed, after a crash on his final lap in qualifying inflicted damage to the driveshaft that was only discovered on his way to the grid on Sunday.
The pole is likely to be absolutely vital with drivers emphasising that this year, more than ever, grid position is everything here. Overtaking is always extremely hard on the streets of Monte Carlo but with this year’s cars heavier and wider than ever, drivers fear it will be all but impossible.
The modern formula is entirely unsuited to Monaco and for all that the circuit represents an immense challenge, the racing is all too likely to be very much a procession on Sunday. If Leclerc can hold his lead off the start and Ferrari avoid any mechanical problems, he is in every position to secure the win.
It represents a real chance for Leclerc to wrestle back the championship lead after the last round in Spain where he had to retire, and Verstappen took a six-point advantage over his rival. An extraordinary turnaround given that Leclerc was 46 points ahead after the third round in Australia.
It will also represent his best shot yet at ending his “curse” at his home race. Leclerc has failed to finish in any of his races in his hometown, across two F2 and three F1 races. Sebastian Vettel was in ninth for Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in seventh and 10th for Alpine.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda clipped the wall at the chicane in Q3 but continued to make it to Q2 and finished in 11th. Valtteri Bottas was in 12th for Alfa Romeo, Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher in 13th and 15th for Haas and Daniel Ricciardo in 14th for McLaren.
Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi were in 16th and 19th for Williams. Pierre Gasly was 17th for AlphaTauri, Lance Stroll in 18th for Aston Martin and Guanyu Zhou in 20th for Alfa Romeo. — Guardian
