In Monaco, Charles Leclerc performed impressively during both Friday and Saturday sessions. He gradually improved his speed and managed to clock a time of 1 minute and 10.270 seconds during qualifying, which was just a tenth of a second behind Lewis Hamilton’s pole record from 2019.
Leclerc expressed his happiness with his qualifying lap, saying, “It was nice, the feeling after a qualifying lap is always very special here.” However, he also emphasized that qualifying isn’t everything and that a good performance on Sunday is equally important for the race. He hoped for a good start in the race, aiming for a 1-2 finish with his teammate Carlos Sainz.
Oscar Piastri came close to challenging Leclerc for pole position but fell slightly short in the end. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen faced difficulties with his Red Bull car throughout the weekend, particularly struggling in the final two sectors. His final qualifying lap was disrupted when he narrowly avoided hitting the barrier at the Sainte Devote corner, causing him to abort the lap and drop down the order.
Carlos Sainz secured third place, with Lando Norris close behind in fourth after a strong recovery from Q1. George Russell outperformed Verstappen, showing Mercedes’ improved performance in Monaco. However, Lewis Hamilton couldn’t surpass Verstappen’s position and finished in seventh.
In the midfield, Yuki Tsunoda claimed eighth place, followed by Alex Albon in ninth. Pierre Gasly rounded off the top 10, knocking out his Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon in Q2.
Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez were notable casualties in Q1, failing to set competitive lap times towards the end of the session. Alonso slipped down to 16th place, while Perez remained stuck towards the back of the grid after his final lap didn’t deliver the desired performance.
Leclerc’s impressive performance secured him pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, setting the stage for an exciting race on Sunday.
