Leclerc Claims Pole in Dramatic Monaco Qualifying
Charles Leclerc will start from pole position for the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix after a stellar performance in Saturday’s qualifying session. The Monegasque driver clinched his third career pole at his home Grand Prix, beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 0.154 seconds. Leclerc’s achievement sets him up for a potential first podium finish in Monaco, a track that has brought him notorious bad luck in the past.
Leclerc had this to say after the qualifying session:
“The feeling after a qualifying lap is always very special here so I’m really happy about the lap. — However, I know from the past that qualifying is not everything. As much as it helps for Sunday’s race, we need to put everything together.”
Leclerc Dominates, Verstappen Falters
Leclerc’s lap of 1:11.278 was enough to edge out Piastri, who has shown remarkable pace throughout the weekend. Championship leader Max Verstappen will start sixth after a dramatic slide in the first corner on his final run forced him to end his lap. The Red Bull driver’s misstep ended his run of eight consecutive pole positions. The result left him one short of breaking Ayrton Senna’s record.
Mixed Fortunes for Ferrari and McLaren
Carlos Sainz, Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, secured third on the grid, ensuring a strong starting position for the Scuderia. McLaren’s Lando Norris will start fourth, having left his final run until the last minute but failing to improve his time. George Russell rounded out the top five for Mercedes, just ahead of Verstappen.
Midfield Qualifiers
Lewis Hamilton, who showed strong form in practice, will start seventh, struggling to find the pace needed to challenge. VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda delivered a solid performance, securing eighth on the grid, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who completed the top ten.
Penalties and Pit Lane Starts
Both Haas drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, will start from the pit lane after their cars were found to be in breach of technical regulations. The gap in the DRS opening on their cars exceeded the maximum allowed. This resulted in their disqualification from the qualifying results. Hulkenberg had qualified 12th and Magnussen 15th before the penalty.
Notable Qualifying Performances
Esteban Ocon missed out on a place in Q3 by just 0.069 seconds and will start 11th for Alpine. Daniel Ricciardo will line up 13th for RB, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll 14th. Fernando Alonso had a disappointing session. The Aston Martin veteran was knocked out in Q1 and will start 16th, just ahead of Williams’ Logan Sargeant.
Perez and Sauber’s Woes
Sergio Perez had a disastrous session, only managing 18th after clipping the wall at the exit of Turn One. The Mexican struggled for pace throughout, unable to recover from his early mistake. The Saubers of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will fill the back row, with Bottas in 19th and Zhou 20th.
Find the full times and positions here.
Looking Ahead to Race Day
With Leclerc on pole and a competitive grid behind him, Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix should be interesting to see if the home hero can finally hold on. Leclerc will be aiming to break his streak of bad luck and secure a long-awaited podium at his home race. Meanwhile, Verstappen will have to navigate from sixth on a track notorious for its difficulty in overtaking. His quest for victory will now be all the more challenging.
Race day at the Monaco Grand Prix is all that remains. With everything still to play for on the narrow and treacherous streets of Monte Carlo.
