Antonelli takes Monaco Grand Prix pole ahead of Verstappen

MONTE CARLO: Championship leader Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday, putting his Mercedes ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull after a tense qualifying session decided in the closing moments.

The 19-year-old Italian posted a best lap of one minute and 12.051 seconds, beating Verstappen by 0.043 seconds. The result placed both Ferraris on the second row, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying third and Charles Leclerc fourth. Isack Hadjar was fifth in the second Red Bull, while Mercedes driver George Russell took sixth and remains 43 points behind Antonelli in the drivers’ standings.

Antonelli, who has already won four races, will now aim to become the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1952 to win five straight grands prix. His latest effort also extended Mercedes’ streak to six consecutive poles this season. After taking his fourth pole of the year, Antonelli said he had produced a magic lap.

His performance was notable beyond this season as well. It was the first pole at Monaco for an Italian driver since Jarno Trulli in 2004, and the first by a Mercedes driver at the circuit since Hamilton in 2019.

Qualifying session

The session began in warm conditions, with drivers leaving the pits in heavy traffic to prepare for their early flying laps. Hamilton reported his frustration over the radio, saying Leclerc was backing him up, underlining the pressure in the field. Early in Q1, Leclerc set the pace ahead of Lando Norris and Hamilton, while Russell struggled to put together a clean lap.

Q1 was then interrupted when Gabriel Bortoleto clipped the barrier at the chicane and stopped on track, bringing out a red flag for six minutes. That left most drivers needing a final effort at the end of the segment, while the leading contenders stayed in the garage. Leclerc finished the phase in front of Verstappen and Antonelli, while a late lap from Carlos Sainz moved him up to 10th and kept him from being eliminated.

Knocked out in the first phase were both Cadillacs, both Haas cars and both Aston Martins. Fernando Alonso, 21st on the grid, voiced strong criticism of the current machinery after the session. After 21 Monaco appearances, including two wins and two poles, the 44-year-old is the most experienced driver in the field at the circuit.

Fight for pole

Verstappen led the field out in Q2 and narrowly avoided contact with Sainz in the pit lane before Antonelli initially went quickest with a lap of 1:12.778. Leclerc then closed to within 0.070 seconds, but Verstappen soon moved to the top with 1:12.499, finishing the segment 0.205 seconds ahead of Antonelli, with Hadjar third, 0.223 off the pace.

That segment saw both Williams cars, both Audis, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad eliminated. Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly advanced into the top-10 shootout.

In Q3, Leclerc abandoned his first flying lap but improved on his second to set 1:12.351 and briefly claim provisional pole, lifting the home crowd. Verstappen then bettered that mark with 1:12.094, only for Antonelli to respond with the decisive lap and take top spot for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Further down the order, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified seventh ahead of team-mate and world champion Lando Norris.