Lando Norris set a new lap record en route to pole position for the Monaco GP, after a tense qualifying session in the principality.
Charles Leclerc entered Monaco GP qualifying as the favourite for pole position at his home race in Monte-Carlo. Team-mate Lewis Hamilton was lucky to take part in qualifying after crashing out at the end of the final practice session.
But Max Verstappen and Red Bull succeeded in finding a sweet spot with the RB21’s setup. The reigning world champion could spoil Leclerc’s party, but concerns over his soft tyre pace left him as a dark horse for qualifying.
McLaren seemingly struggled for pace during practice for the Monaco GP. Lando Norris and championship leader Oscar Piastri could not match the pace of Ferrari or Red Bull, leaving their part in Monaco’s qualifying story a mystery.
Pole position is integral to a good race in Monte-Carlo given Monaco’s narrow and tight layout. Those who struggled to perform in qualifying can see their chances for the weekend evaporate.
Q1
Most of the grid was waiting at the end of the pit lane ahead of the green light for qualifying for the Monaco GP. Once the expensive traffic jam had cleared, the drivers began setting banker laps immediately.
With 19 out of 20 cars on the circuit in the opening minutes, the familiar issue of traffic became a problem in Q1.
Once the opening laps were complete, it was Verstappen on top, from the two Ferraris. Fernando Alonso moved into P3, displacing Hamilton.
But the McLarens showed their hand, with Norris and Piastri moving clearo of the field by two tenths of. a second.
The track evolution saw times improve with each lap, with the bottom five fluctuating. But Franco Colapinto’s challenging weekend continued, as he remained rooted to the bottom of the standings. Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Colapinto all found themselves in the danger zone.
However, Kimi Antonelli hit the barriers, taking too aggressive a line going into the chicane. This brought out the red flag with the session not being resumed.
Eliminated: Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto
Q2
After a short delay to repair the barriers and clear the wreckage, the session got underway. 14 cars waited patiently to the famous Monaco streets for a slot in Q3.
Drivers were keen to get as many laps in as possible in Q2, pushing their cars to the limits immediately. Mercedes and Ferrari opted to start the session on mediums, the rest on softs. Norris jumped to the top of the times, while Verstappen slotted into second.
George Russell compounded Mercedes’ miserable qualifying, coming to a stop in the tunnel. Unsurprisingly, this required a second red flag, as dejected George Russell climbed from his car after helping wheel his car to the chicane.
At the restart, teams frantically recalculated their run plans. Cars staggered their arrival onto the track to avoid queuing.
After the next runs, it was once again the Ferraris at the top of the timesheets, before Norris surprised the field.
But further back, both Mercedes cars absence left just three cars to be eliminated, with a tight battle ensuing. With three minutes left, Hadjar, Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon were those at risk.
At the chequered flag, those at the lower end of the order found substantial gains, except for Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda and Hulkenberg.
Eliminated: Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli
Q3
The final part of Monaco GP qualifying got underway with the cars once again giving each other space in the pitlane to find a gap on track.
McLaren led the field once the first runs were complete, with Norris leading Piastri, Leclerc and Hamilton. Max Verstappen’s first run was good enough for P4.
Alonso moved into sixth after his first effort, though slower than the Haas of Esteban Ocon. Albon jumped ahead of the Frenchman, and Lawson moving into P9. Hadjar remained in the pits, opting to do just one run at the end of the session.
McLaren opted to do their second run surprisingly early, taking advantage of an empty track. Piastri jumped to the top of the times, only for Norris to replace him on provisional pole by 15 milliseconds.
The rest of the top ten started their flying laps. All were within touching distance of the McLarens. Leclerc mastered his middle sector, but it was Lando Norris who took pole position, setting a new track record. Hadjar saved his best efforts until the last moment, qualifying an impressive sixth.
Top ten: Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon
Provisional Classification
- Lando Norris
- Charles Leclerc
- Oscar Piastri
- Lewis Hamilton
- Max Verstappen
- Isack Hadjar
- Fernando Alonso
- Esteban Ocon
- Liam Lawson
- Alex Albon
- Carlos Sainz
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Nico Hulkenberg
- George Russell
- Kimi Antonelli
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Oliver Bearman
- Pierre Gasly
- Lance Stroll
- Franco Colapinto
