Monaco Grand Prix: Antonelli's Fourth Pole
Sunny. Dry. Air +24…23°C, track +35…33°C
Qualifying in Monaco is the key session of the weekend, as it determines who will leave as the winner on Sunday and who will be left out. No matter how the rules change, in Monaco everything depends on the starting position.
The FIA's attempt to change the situation with the second mandatory pit stop last year only added chaos – the pole sitter won again, so teams and drivers actively prepared for qualifying during practice.
On Friday, Lewis Hamilton set the best time, and on Saturday morning, the championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheet. The time was far from a record – two seconds slower than last year, but the cars have changed – their characteristics affected driving, although the overall nature of the weekend remained the same – from one red flag to another, which is why we love Monaco.
Pirelli traditionally brought the softest compounds – C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium, and C5 as Soft. By the third practice, everyone was only using C5, just like in qualifying – here the softest tires had a clear advantage.
In the first session, everyone went out on Soft. Haas F1 repaired Berman's car after the morning crash – he went out at the beginning of the session. Gasly and Antonelli touched the barrier, Russell nearly lost his car while braking before Turn 5.
Red flags appeared on the 16th minute. Bortoleto broke the suspension against the barrier at Turn 10 – the car had to be evacuated.
The session resumed two minutes before the end; not everyone managed to start a fast lap, but the leaders stayed in the pits. The best time was set by Charles Leclerc – 1:13.293. Ocon, Perez, Berman, Bottas, Alonso, and Stroll were eliminated from further contention.
In the second session, everyone again went out on Soft. Speeds increased, and drivers swapped places at the top. In the first attempt, Antonelli was the fastest – 1:12.704.
In the second attempt, Verstappen went faster – 1:12.499. Albon, Sainz, Hülkenberg, Colapinto, Lindblad, and Bortoleto did not make it to the final.
In the final, Hamilton topped the timesheet with 1:12.553, then Antonelli went faster – 1:12.375, while Verstappen was just behind him by a thousandth – 1:12.376.
Piastri touched the barrier with his left rear wheel, and Hamilton was warned with a black-and-white flag for moving too slowly on the track.
In the second attempt, Leclerc improved – 1:12.351, but then Hamilton, Verstappen, and Antonelli were faster, while Leclerc crashed into the wall at the exit of Turn 12.
Kimi Antonelli won qualifying in Monaco, securing his fourth pole – both for the season and in his career.
Alongside him on the front row is Max Verstappen, while Hamilton and Leclerc will start from the second row, and Hadjar and Russell from the third.
Qualifying results
Driver
Team
1st session
2nd session
3rd session
No.
Time
Laps
No.
Time
Laps
No.
Time
Laps
1. K. Antonelli
Mercedes
3
1:13.599
10
2
1:12.704
10
1
1:12.051
8
2. M. Verstappen
Red Bull
2
1:13.490
8
1
1:12.499
10
2
1:12.094
8
3. L. Hamilton
Ferrari
5
1:13.777
10
6
1:12.934
10
3
1:12.279
8
4. S. Leclerc
Ferrari
1
1:13.293
10
4
1:12.774
11
4
1:12.351
8
5. A. Hadjar
Red Bull
11
1:14.408
9
3
1:12.722
8
5
1:12.434
8
6. D. Russell
Mercedes
8
1:14.214
10
8
1:13.238
10
6
1:12.445
8
7. O. Piastri
McLaren
7
1:14.159
11
7
1:12.983
10
7
1:12.624
8
8. L. Norris
McLaren
4
1:13.630
11
5
1:12.919
10
8
1:12.765
7
9. P. Gasly
Alpine
12
1:14.469
13
10
1:13.762
11
9
1:13.226
8
10. L. Lawson
Racing Bulls
13
1:14.498
11
9
1:13.471
10
10
1:13.412
8
11. A. Albon
Williams
9
1:14.321
14
11
1:13.787
10
12. C. Sainz
Williams
10
1:14.348
13
12
1:13.815
10
13. N. Hülkenberg
Audi
6
1:13.923
11
13
1:13.902
10
14. F. Colapinto
Alpine
14
1:14.573
13
14
1:13.995
11
15. A. Lindblad
Racing Bulls
16
1:14.685
12
15
1:14.248
11
16. G. Bortoleto
Audi
15
1:14.683
10
16
–
0
17. E. Ocon
Haas
17
1:14.722
14
18. S. Perez
Cadillac
18
1:14.747
12
19. O. Berman
Haas
19
1:14.814
14
20. V. Bottas
Cadillac
20
1:15.283
13
21. F. Alonso
Aston Martin
21
1:15.349
13
22. L. Stroll
Aston Martin
22
1:16.061
11
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