At this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren’s Lando Norris surprised many by taking pole position by mere seconds over home hero Charles Leclerc. George Russell, 25, set a blistering lap of 1m09.954s, becoming the first driver to hold pole since the Australian Grand Prix earlier this season.
At the beginning of the session, Norris hadn’t been considered the top driver. It was Charles Leclerc who took the honor, having come out on top of all three practice sessions and looking comfortable at home. Neighborhoods in Monte Carlo basked in sunlight and thrilled crowds, including Monaco natives cheering on Leclerc, made the whole event lively. The track in Monaco has a habit of throwing everyone off.
Qualifying at Monaco is unlike any other session—it’s the key moment since the tight track often prevents passing on Sunday. They already know this. Teams are familiar with this. In the first quarter, drivers were busy sorting themselves out and aiming to warm up their soft tyres for the best grip. Changes on the track took place quickly, as they always have. Being dependent on time meant you had to be in the race at all times; each lap and every tenth was important.
Not every moment on California’s streets was fantastic for Mercedes. It came as a surprise when the Silver Arrows’ weekend fell apart in an exciting way. Lewis Hamilton was early on the track but could only shift P1 in Q1 and he might face a penalty after impeding Max Verstappen during the session. George Russell’s race was ended in Q2 when his car stopped in the tunnel because of an electrical problem. One vehicle was stopped, no one else could continue their lap and Mercedes suffered yet another hit. To make matters worse, rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had been talked up, crashed in Q1 and knocked out any possibility of the team recovering.
Things did not go much better for Red Bull. All weekend, Max Verstappen did not seem comfortable with his car and was unable to hit his usual good form. P5 on the grid is good enough at other places, but in Monaco, it’s very tough to manage. The Dutchman looked frustrated during driver introductions, particularly as Hamilton blocked him in the first qualifying segment. Most of the season, Red Bull’s approach has worked very well, but still, they were caught off guard by events in Monaco.
After that, both new and unexpected stars started getting noticed. IsackHadjar drove brilliantly to place sixth, holding his own against more experienced racers on a weekend where precision was key. Although he had practiced hitting the wall, the Frenchman remained very calm in the race. Alonso, who has always been great in Monaco, took P7 only 0.001 seconds behind Hadjar which illustrates how little separates drivers at Monaco. Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson and Alex Albon made the top ten, each driving well in the session.
I should also mention young Oscar Piastri here. The Aussie was just behind Norris in the early laps of Q3 and if not for a little oversight at Nouvelle Chicane, he was on pace for a top place on the grid. Even so, having P3 on the grid gives McLaren a powerful advantage with two top drivers in a key position to set the race’s speed. With each competition, the team is getting better and this session might middle the change to doing well all the time.
I expect there will be another challenge to the strategy for the 78-lap Sunday race. All three tyre compounds must be used in F1 which means every team needs to stop in the pits twice and can try creative solutions. This matters most in Monaco, as a slight improvement in your lead can be what settles a race in your favor if you’re up front or brings you miserably down if you’re in the middle. Since there isn’t much tire wear but traffic is a major issue, the battles will be just as interesting on the pit wall as on the track.
Competition in the midfield was very strong. After saying he had grip problems, Carlos Sainz was unable to advance to Q3 and had to settle for 11th on the grid. Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg and the two Mercedes drivers did not progress to Q3. Tsunoda thought he was delayed by another driver. In the second group, it was commonly Sauber, Alpine and a demoted Bearman battling to stay out of the back half of the grid.
There were feelings of happiness, reassurance and acceptance in the paddock when the session ended. It was a confirmation for her. A chance to see that he is capable of competing against the best and winning. Again, it was heartbreak for Leclerc at the race held in his hometown of Monaco. It’s been a dreadful buildup for Mercedes as they look ahead to the race.
When we reach the race, everyone’s attention will fall on those up in the front row. Can Norris stay ahead of the very quick Leclerc on the start? Could strategy mess with the already unpredictable weekend ahead? Will we see Verstappen and Hamilton overtake ahead of them, starting from the second row and beyond on the grid?
The racing in Monaco is never boring and this time around we have an eager poleman plus plenty of potential upsets, so everything is promising for a thrilling Sunday. Buckle up. We’re looking at something special this time.
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