Charles Leclerc took pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, breaking Max Verstappen’s streak of poles after the world champion glanced the wall on his final lap.
The Ferrari driver ended Verstappen’s monopoly on pole position in 2024 and his record streak of poles dating back to 2023 by securing the top spot by a a tenth of a second from Oscar Piastri.
Carlos Sainz Jnr took third on the grid in the other Ferrari but is under investigation for potentially impeding a rival. Verstappen qualified sixth after clipping a wall in his bid for pole position.
Q1
The most frantic 18 minutes of qualifying of the season began with a huge queue of cars waiting to take to the track. All 20 drivers ventured out on fresh soft tyres, with not a single driver willing to play it safe.Verstappen set the early benchmark with a 1’12.790, but that time was quickly beaten by a raft of his rivals as drivers gradually built up their speed. The Red Bull driver improved on his next attempt to a 1’12.084, but that was beaten by Oscar Piastri to the tune of two tenths.
Traffic was expectedly extreme, with Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jnr the first drivers to earn a summons from the stewards and alleged impeding incident. The stewards will investigate both drivers after the session.
Leclerc, the fastest driver in practice, was forced to return to the pits after collecting a discarded scrap of advertising banner on his front wing end plate. However, after the team took the debris off his car, he returned to the track to set the quickest time of the session so far.
In the final minutes of the session, Sergio Perez and Lando Norris were the big names in danger of being eliminated. The McLaren driver, who lost time early in the session when his car also picked up a strip of advertising from a barrier, pitted with under two minutes to go, leaving him one single lap to secure passage into Q2. He ensured his progression by jumping up to tenth.
That left Perez in need of an improvement to avoid elimination, but he could not manage to do better than 18th on his final lap which put him out of Q1 in Monaco for the second consecutive season. Joining him out was Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, with Logan Sargeant also failing to follow Albon into Q2.
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were the slowest drivers eliminated from the session in 19th and 20th, respectively, to cap off a torrid start to the weekend for the Sauber team.
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Q1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W15 | 1’11.492 | |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’11.500 | 0.008 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W15 | 1’11.528 | 0.036 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’11.543 | 0.051 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’11.584 | 0.092 |
| 6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW46 | 1’11.623 | 0.131 |
| 7 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB20 | 1’11.711 | 0.219 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A524 | 1’11.714 | 0.222 |
| 9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR24 | 1’11.728 | 0.236 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’11.760 | 0.268 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB-Honda RBPT | 01 | 1’11.785 | 0.293 |
| 12 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | VF-24 | 1’11.832 | 0.340 |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT | 01 | 1’11.852 | 0.360 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | VF-24 | 1’11.876 | 0.384 |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | A524 | 1’11.887 | 0.395 |
| 16 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR24 | 1’12.019 | 0.527 |
| 17 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | FW46 | 1’12.020 | 0.528 |
| 18 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB20 | 1’12.060 | 0.568 |
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber-Ferrari | C44 | 1’12.512 | 1.020 |
| 20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber-Ferrari | C44 | 1’13.028 | 1.536 |
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Q2
The thinned-out field were no more calmer for it as the second phase of qualifying began. This was demonstrated when Nico Hulkenberg glanced the outside barrier at the exit of Sainte Devote on his first timed lap of the session, but fortunately no significant damage appeared to be done to the Haas.
Sainz went quickest with a 1’11.777 with his first effort, but that was beaten by a tenth of a second by Verstappen on his second timed lap on his set of soft tyres. Yuki Tsunoda went third fastest, with Esteban Ocon putting his Alpine into the top four in the early stages.
After an initial rush, several of the likely favourites returned to the pits to observe proceedings. Sainz and Leclerc both opted to take a second set of soft tyres and return to the track before manage of their rivals, while Oscar Piastri produced a new best time with a 1’10.756, just under two tenths quicker than George Russell in the Mercedes.
In the final four minutes of the session, the drop zone consisted of Lance Stroll, Albon, the two Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Hulkenberg with Daniel Ricciardo sitting slowest in 15th.
Magnussen failed to improve and was out, but while Hulkenberg set his best time at the end of the session, it was not good enough to reach the top ten. Similarly, Ricciardo improved ahead of Magnussen and Stroll – who did not find time with his final lap – but he was also out in 15th.
It was therefore a battle between the two Alpine drivers to decide who would be the final car through into Q3. The duel was won by Pierre Gasly, who jumped up to fifth place with his final effort. Team mate Ocon was eliminated in 11th after locking up into Sainte Devote on his final push lap.
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Q2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’10.732 | |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB20 | 1’10.745 | 0.013 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’10.756 | 0.024 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’10.825 | 0.093 |
| 5 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A524 | 1’10.896 | 0.164 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W15 | 1’10.929 | 0.197 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W15 | 1’11.056 | 0.324 |
| 8 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’11.075 | 0.343 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT | 01 | 1’11.106 | 0.374 |
| 10 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW46 | 1’11.216 | 0.484 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | A524 | 1’11.285 | 0.553 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | VF-24 | 1’11.440 | 0.708 |
| 13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB-Honda RBPT | 01 | 1’11.482 | 0.750 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR24 | 1’11.563 | 0.831 |
| 15 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | VF-24 | 1’11.725 | 0.993 |
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Q3
Sainz won the race out of the pit lane to take to the track first at the start of the most important Q3 of the season. He did so with a fresh set of softs, while Norris, Albon, Gasly and Tsunoda all took used tyres for their first runs.Hamilton posted the first provision pole time with a 1’10.975, but that was comfortably beaten by Leclerc by just over half a second. Piastri only just missed out on beating the Ferrari’s first effort by 0.026s, while Sainz moved third with his first lap.
Verstappen was the last of the pole contenders to complete his first push lap, but he could only manage third with the attempt, a tenth-and-a-half away from Leclerc’s provisional pole time. As the field returned to the pits to prepare for their last qualifying attempts, Albon took advantage of the clear track to move up to seventh, provisionally ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz was again the first driver out on track as time ticked down in the closing minutes, but he opted for a build up lap before pushing. Russell pushed immediately and improved, but it was not good enough to challenge for pole.
Leclerc improved his own provisional pole time to a 1’10.270 to have one hand on pole, but then Verstappen’s final lap was ruined when he hit the wall lightly at Sainte Devote, ending his hopes of setting a new all-time record for consecutive poles.
Piastri had the chance to deny Leclerc his third home position pole in four years, but he could only get within 0.154s of the Ferrari. Sainz improved into third place, but his secured pole position – the first driver to beat Verstappen to the best grid slot on the grid in 2024.
Piastri will start alongside Leclerc on the front row with Sainz behind in third. Norris took fourth ahead of Russell in fifth with Verstappen falling to sixth after his final lap error. Hamilton will start from seventh on the grid, with Tsunoda, Albon and Gasly rounding out the top ten.
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Q3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’10.270 | |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’10.424 | 0.154 |
| 3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’10.518 | 0.248 |
| 4 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’10.542 | 0.272 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W15 | 1’10.543 | 0.273 |
| 6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB20 | 1’10.567 | 0.297 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W15 | 1’10.621 | 0.351 |
| 8 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT | 01 | 1’10.858 | 0.588 |
| 9 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW46 | 1’10.948 | 0.678 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A524 | 1’11.311 | 1.041 |
2024 Monaco Grand Prix
- Formula 1 will fix red flag rule loophole which ruined Monaco GP – Domenicali
- Magnussen ‘could have backed off but didn’t’ in Monaco crash, says team boss
- Ocon defends his driving after ‘hurtful abuse’ over Monaco GP crash with Gasly
- How the midfield’s hottest team mate rivalry boiled over
- “He’s really dangerous”: Unheard driver radio from F1’s slow show in Monaco
Edvaldo
25th May 2024, 16:33
so, are they still talking about Perez getting an extension?
emuLOAD
25th May 2024, 16:36
If by “extension” you mean an extra 20 minutes to finish races, probably.
Bullfrog
25th May 2024, 16:51
He should get one built while he can still afford it.
anon
25th May 2024, 18:22
Edvaldo, apparently yes, as Perez has confirmed that talks between his management team and Red Bull are still ongoing. In fact, there have been claims that Red Bull have already offered to extend Perez’s contract for one year, with a claim that Perez has asked for a two year extension instead.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th May 2024, 19:29
After recent performances, he’ll have to settle with seeing the season out!
Jere (@jerejj)
25th May 2024, 16:36
I’m happy with this top 6 starting order, but overall, an exciting qualifying session, & truly hope Leclerc can convert this pole position into a victory.
I thought pre-event that Alonso would certainly reach Q3, but yet another Q1 elimination, which isn’t as surprising as the Imola one, & Perez’s early elimination is even more surprising, not to mention Red Bull perhaps should start reconsidering whether to keep him, after all.
David BR (@david-br)
25th May 2024, 17:47
@jerejj Really hoping Leclerc can win tomorrow too.
Alonso’s elimination didn’t surprise me, Perez even less. I predicted he’d come unstuck as soon as Red Bull hit trouble. If Verstappen is fighting for even a sniff of the front row, I expect Perez way down the order. His form tumbled last year after the first 6 races, and that was with the car perfect for almost every single track.
Hamilton was a disappointment. Not his kind of circuit, but he seemed to be on form this weekend. Maybe just to eager to set the first lap times each session.
HerbertSteward (@madlewis)
25th May 2024, 16:39
Stunning pole lap. Only 0.15 slower then 2019 pole lap. Never expected that with these heavy ass cars. McLaren right up there too. They can fight at any track now I believe. RB very poor.
Jere (@jerejj)
25th May 2024, 16:47
Indeed, a surprisingly small gap to the outright fastest ever lap, considering the massive weight difference usual shows especially on low average-speed circuits.
HerbertSteward (@madlewis)
25th May 2024, 17:48
Absolutely. Current cars shine in the high speeds but didn’t expect kind of lap times on a track like Monaco. Kind of wish these cars were 50kg lighter. I think they could be on par with the 2020 cars.
MichaelN
25th May 2024, 16:52
It’d be such a great story if Leclerc can win it tomorrow. Here’s hoping he (finally) does it!
Verstappen can’t be counted out, of course, but it’s a refreshing change to see the two Ferrari and McLaren cars lead the field.
T
25th May 2024, 17:10
no doubt about it, I’m ready to get hurt again
Lewis has already done his part: phenomenal FP sessions, sub par qualification
bring it home Leclerc
pls prove me wrong scharl
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th May 2024, 19:33
In a normal race verstappen can’t do miracles here in monaco starting from 6th, he already couldn’t make it back to the front in singapore last year, let alone monaco, I think it’s more leclerc who could possibly lose the race, rather than verstappen doing anything that would allow him to get past so many cars.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th May 2024, 19:35
And yes, ferraris and mclarens mixing it at the front reminds me of 1999-2000, back when they were fighting for the championship, the first years I watched.
AlanD
25th May 2024, 20:16
Out of interest, why do you say that? Are you suggesting it would be a greater story than any of the other drivers winning it? Are you saying this because LeClerc is from Monaco and it is his “home race”?
MichaelN
25th May 2024, 23:27
It’s mostly because he got pole in 2021, crashed, and then Ferrari failed to prepare his car for the race so he couldn’t start. Then in 2022 he got pole again, led the race comfortably in the wet, he/Ferrari then got the strategy wrong (Wet > Intermediate rather than Hard), so he quickly had to do another stop (Intermediate > Hard) which was further delayed due to Sainz making a stop right in front of him, he was then questionably impeded quite badly by a Williams, all of which combined to drop him to 4th.
With just a tad more luck on his side, he might well have won this race twice already.
papaya
25th May 2024, 16:58
It just incredible Red Bull’s drop off performance ever since Adrian Newey no longer participating their race activity, good to see they no longer at the top of pinnacle which seems impossible to beat by others.
Edvaldo
25th May 2024, 17:10
Definitely helps the product. Max is going to win again, but it doesn’t look like it will be 2023 part 2 as it was looking like early on.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th May 2024, 19:36
Verstappen is a very good driver, so I don’t really mind if he wins more titles, as long as he has to fight a bit for it, like he was doing in 2022, until red bull outdeveloped ferrari.
MadMax (@madmax)
25th May 2024, 19:49
RBR was the better car also in early 2022. The ferrari drivers were driving much more on the edge back then.
Bullfrog
25th May 2024, 20:22
Maybe he’ll leave them a killer upgrade when he leaves (see the 1990 French GP)
AlanD
25th May 2024, 22:36
Bullfrog, your comment is too cryptic, what upgrade did Newey leave at Leyton House? And what is the significance of the 1990 French GP?
Edvaldo
26th May 2024, 4:25
a new floor that combined with the smooth surface of the track almost got them a 1-2 finish ahead of Prost and Senna.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
25th May 2024, 17:26
This is why Red Bull need a decent driver in Perez’s car.
That second car should be somewhere in the top 6 and at the very least in the top ten so that they could at least salvage some points in the Constructors Championship.
Starting 18th … at Monaco ….
In his own words – “What a joke”
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th May 2024, 19:37
And when you think about sainz being without a competitive seat next year it seems like an easy hiring!
Paul
25th May 2024, 17:41
Looking like that Red Bull seat will be between Tsunoda and Sainz. If it is Tsunoda I can’t see Sainz going to RB and more likely going to Sauber/Audi.
Lawson to RB alongside another driver maybe still Tsunoda or Riccardo but maybe even a surprise like Bottas? Or Zhou? (To market Red Bull drinks too all those Chinese)
I see this year as the last of both Perez and Riccardo (Ricc might just scrap through but I’m doubting it)
André
25th May 2024, 17:44
Add Bottas to that list.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th May 2024, 19:40
Yes, I was also thinking that it’s about time to stop linking ricciardo to red bull: if anyone is getting promoted on performance it’s tsunoda, he’s been beating all his team mates since gasly left.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
25th May 2024, 18:34
Really hope Piastri makes it tomorrow. He’s having a cracker of a season, slowly getting there even if the results don’t show that much. I think once he gets that win, it’ll give him a huge confidence boos
PS Keith please fix the log in problem!
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
25th May 2024, 19:42
Agree, reported the comment in an attempt to bring the login issue to the attention of the higher powers, as we can’t post in the forums to signal the problem, as we can’t log there at all.
SteveP
25th May 2024, 20:48
Out of interest, did this problem start on or about the 15th of this month?
Gusm.ai
25th May 2024, 21:15
Haas drivers disqualified ,but will be able to start tomorrow.
Alonso (@alonshow)
25th May 2024, 23:30
It might just be wishful thinking, but I’m starting to believe we have a fight for the WCC this year. If Ferrari and Red Bull finish in the same positions they start (quite possible in Monaco), the gap between first and second after this weekend will be 14 points.