Driving one of the most spectacular Formula 1 laps of his life, Lando Norris beat the home crowd favourite Charles Leclerc to pole for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday, earning a moment of genius to leave himself room for the slightest, barely legal, mistake on his last lap.
Leclerc endured a difficult day as he finished a muted fifth, 0.15 seconds off a brilliant 1:09.954 by the McLaren driver in the dying seconds of Q3, which also pushed his teammate Oscar Piastri into third. It’sNorris’s first career pole in Monaco and a big step in his bid to become a regular front runner in this year’s championship.
Norris Surprises Monaco and McLaren Shines
Qualifying at Monaco is usually more important than the race itself because of the street circuit’s narrow, twisty layout, where overtaking is almost impossible. Because it made Norris’ lap to clinch pole and really dramatic.
Norris proved to be a qualified threat in Monaco, McLaren having shown strong pace all weekend, and few would have fancied him beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who has long been a Monaco qualifying specialist. Norris crashed the party, however, stealing just over a tenth to prise provisional pole off the Monegasque with a 1:10.063 in the last minute.
McLaren also looked strong in qualifying trim, with Oscar Piastri finishing just behind Leclerc with a time of 1:10.129, only to retire from the race with an unrelated engine issue after just one lap.
Hamilton Bounces Back, Verstappen Struggles
Still doing the adapting bit to life at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton also salvaged fourth place after an accident in final practice. A clean final run, with a time of 1:10.382, nearly four tenths off the lead, was all the Ferrari seven-time world champion could manage.
However, in a surprisingly tame day for Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen could only manage fifth. Qualifying didn’t come easilyy for the Dutchman, and he was struggling with grip and setup throughout the proceedings, whilst his best time of 1:10.669 was well off the pace of the top three. Usually dominant Red Bull now battling for Sunday’s race.
Stars and Shocks in the Midfield
The Racing Bulls machinery was not only the weekend’s dark horse, but the ride of the day was secured by Isack Hadjar, who qualified an impressive sixth, a career high. Fernando Alonso followed in seventh,h and that was another display of Aston Martin’s consistency on tight circuits.
Haas’s Esteban Ocon grabbed eighth, with his teammate Liam Lawson ninth. Williams’ Alex Albon enjoyed a strong showing to finish tenth, continuing in his run of good qualifying form.
Carlos Sainz was further outside the top 10 with 11th, hitting trouble with tire grip in Q2, while Yuki Tsunoda was a disappointment in 12th. Elsewhere, George Russell suffered a power failure in Q2 and will start 14th. His Mercedes rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli crashed in Q1 at the Nouvelle Chicane early in the session and will line up in 15th.
Penalties and Pitfalls
Ollie Bearman (Haas) will go to the back of the grid due to a 10-place penalty for a red flag infringement suffered in Friday practice, further back. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, meanwhile, picks up a one-place drop for a practice time with Leclerc.
There were also exits in Q1 for the likes of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) who will start in the back rows.
A Crucial Advantage on a Tricky Track
It’s notoriously difficult to overtake in Monaco, and so Norris’ second career Grand Prix pole gives him the best possible shot at his second career victory. That should have McLaren pleased with a front rowlockoutt, though Ferrari will hope to capitalise on Leclerc and Hamilton’s front row starting positions to nip at the heels of the McLarens in the early going.
But Sunday’s race is never without chaos. Whether from pit stop strategy, safety cars, or even the looming threat of rain, Monaco has a history of surprises. But for now, Lando Norris is the man of the moment—and the one to beat.
