Kimi Antonelli has taken pole for the Monaco Grand Prix. After trailing the Ferraris for much of the weekend, Antonelli repeatedly topped the timesheets throughout qualifying. As the session neared its end, the championship leader looked to have fallen short as Max Verstappen took provisional pole, however a stunning final effort allowed him to take pole by just four hundredths of a second. With pole position vital at Monaco, Antonelli is perfectly placed to make it five consecutive grand prix victories.
For Verstappen, it was a case of so near yet so far away. A slide out of the final corner on his initial run cost him provisional pole, and Antonelli’s final effort caused the Dutchman to miss out. Verstappen remained positive and stated that a front-row start defied both his and Red Bull’s expectations.
Behind them, Lewis Hamilton was in the fight throughout, described by Jenson Button as “a pleasure to watch”; Hamilton’s final lap was eventually good enough for third place. Gracious as ever in his post-session interview, Hamilton will be hoping his SF-26 can produce another great launch off the line tomorrow.
His teammate Charles Leclerc couldn’t give his home fans the result they wanted. After suffering a snap of oversteer on his initial run and returning to the garage, Leclerc did not have a representative time on the board as he started his final laps. His first effort yielded provisional pole; however, the Ferrari driver suffered a second snap of oversteer heading into Tabac and hit the outside barrier. The impact damaged his suspension and ended his hopes of pole.
Isack Hadjar was able to secure fifth, a vital result as he looks to build on his solid showing in Canada. George Russell was unable to match his teammate throughout qualifying and could only manage sixth. Afterwards, Russell was at a loss to explain his lack of pace and suggested that the 2026 Mercedes is not as suited to his driving style as last year’s car. A far from ideal result given the 43 points separating him and Antonelli.
After a solid showing in Q2, McLaren suffered a drop off in pace in Q3. Oscar Piastri will line up seventh, a tenth and a place ahead of his teammate Lando Norris, who admitted to having found the limit of the MCL40’s pace. Pierre Gasly put in a quiet but commendable performance to take ninth ahead of a similarly impressive Liam Lawson.
Alex Albon outpaced his teammate Carlos Sainz but failed to make it into Q3. Nico Hulkenberg qualified 13th ahead of Franco Colapinto, Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto, who broke his suspension at the chicane in Q2, which brought his qualifying to an early end. The incident brought out the red flag which hindered the likes of Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez and Ollie Bearman, all of whom had their sessions curtailed and failed to progress into Q2. Bearman, in particular, was open in his frustration.
Valtteri Bottas qualified 20th ahead of Fernando Alonso, who has recorded his worst ever qualifying performance at Monaco, and Lance Stroll.
Having prevailed over one lap at one of the most driver-centric circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, Antonelli now has some significant momentum. Victory on Sunday, the final race day, could allow him to stamp his authority on this world championship. However, with not one but two legendary drivers right behind him, Antonelli will have plenty to think about once the lights go out tomorrow.
