Charles Leclerc beat Oscar Piastri to pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix as world championship leader Max Verstappen only qualified sixth.
Leclerc went into the session as the hot favourite after topping second and third practice, but the Ferrari driver still needed to deliver under massive pressure at his home race and did so with a stunning lap of 1:10.270.
McLaren’s Piastri continued the impressive form he has also shown throughout the weekend to join Leclerc on the front row. The second row will also be Ferrari-McLaren after Carlos Sainz edged out Lando Norris.
World championship leader Max Verstappen had struggled with the handling of his Red Bull throughout practice, but likely would have been higher than the sixth place he took after blowing his final flying lap by hitting a wall at the first corner.
Verstappen, who was denied a record ninth successive pole position, starts between the two Mercedes cars, with George Russell turning around the practice form guide to take fifth, with Lewis Hamilton seventh.
Red Bull’s woes were furthered by Sergio Perez making a surprise exit in the first part of the session, with the Mexican left with little hope of scoring significant points on Sunday from 18th on the grid.
The chief beneficiaries of the early exits of Perez and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso were RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, Williams’ Alex Albon and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who produced strong performances to round out the top 10.
Leclerc will come under renewed pressure on Sunday as he seeks to win at home for the first time, having failed to do so after claiming pole position in 2021 and 2022.
The 26-year-old’s bad luck around his home track has led to many suggesting he has a ‘curse’ at the famous street circuit, and he will need to be focused for all 78 laps of Sunday’s race to claim what would be a hugely popular victory.
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1’s live Monaco GP and Indy 500 schedule
Sunday May 26
6.55am: F3 Feature Race
8.35am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Monaco GP build-up*
2pm: The MONACO GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Monaco GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
5.30pm: The Indy 500
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
It’s time for the most-famous F1 race of them all – the Monaco Grand Prix. Watch every session from the famous street circuit live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime