Max Verstappen will start the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday from a disappointing fifth place. Lando Norris snatched pole position from home favorite Charles Leclerc in extremis.
Norris was the very last one in a fast lap and ultimately went 0.009 seconds faster around the principality than Leclerc, who had just set the fastest time himself. Oscar Piastri was also in contention for pole, but the championship leader ultimately had to settle for third place.
Pole position was not in the cards for Verstappen. The Red Bull driver was ultimately 8 tenths slower than Norris and also had to concede to Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari. Isack Hadjar drove impressively to sixth place in his first appearance in Monte Carlo in the Racing Bull.
Two Pit stops to prevent a new process
To prevent a procession like in 2024, the drivers are required to use three sets of tires on Sunday, which without red flags results in at least two pit stops per driver. It is an intervention by Formula 1 to increase the spectacle. The drivers are enthusiastic. How it actually turns out will only become clear during the race on Sunday.
It could, for example, help Andrea Kimi Antonelli to make up for his crash in qualifying. The young Italian hit the guardrail in the Nouvelle Chicane and could not continue. He starts fifteenth on Sunday. That was just the beginning of the misery for Mercedes. George Russell stalled in Q2 with problems and starts only one place higher than his teammate.
Qualifying was also disappointing for Yuki Tsunoda. Verstappen’s teammate did not get beyond twelfth place with the Red Bull. He shares the sixth row with Carlos Sainz, who drove the eleventh fastest time in the Williams.