Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc secured pole position for the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix with a spectacular qualifying performance on his home track. During Saturday’s crucial grid-deciding session, he outpaced McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.
Leclerc navigated Q1 and Q2 without any issues, and in Q3, he showcased his true speed by setting an initial time of 1m 10.418s, which he then improved to an electrifying 1m 10.270s – a benchmark that none of his competitors could surpass.
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Piastri came closest, placing his McLaren in a commendable second position, ahead of Sainz and his teammate Lando Norris. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, however, had to settle for sixth after crashing into the wall at Sainte Devote on his final qualifying lap.
This incident ended the Dutchman’s streak of eight consecutive pole positions, tying him with Ayrton Senna in the all-time list, and now he faces a challenging race day ahead.
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will flank Verstappen on the grid, starting fifth and seventh, respectively. Meanwhile, RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, Williams’s Alex Albon, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly impressed by making it to Q3.
Esteban Ocon narrowly missed advancing to Q3, qualifying 11th in his Alpine, while Nico Hulkenberg, despite briefly leading in Q1, finished 12th. Daniel Ricciardo managed 13th, watching as Tsunoda led RB’s charge in the final session, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Haas’s Kevin Magnussen rounding out the Q2 qualifiers.
The first qualifying phase was dramatic, featuring several traffic-related incidents and fierce battles for track position. This resulted in notable eliminations, with Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez set to start 16th and 18th respectively in Sunday’s race.
Logan Sargeant will start between Alonso and Perez in his Williams, while the Sauber duo, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, concluded qualifying at the back of the field.
Haas Duo Disqualified from Qualifying
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were been disqualified from qualifying due to a non-compliant rear wing element on their Haas cars.
“The Technical Delegate discovered on examination that the uppermost rear wing element adjustable positions exceeded the maximum allowed under Article 3.10.10.h of the Technical Regulations of 85mm.
“The team explained that this was the consequence of an inadvertent error on their part in setting the wing flap gap. The wing used was a new design that was used for the first time in Monaco. The old design was set to be compliant with the regulations with the largest gap measured from the centre of the wing. Under the new design, the largest gap was at the extremities of the wing but the team had not trained its mechanics to set the gap per the new design, resulting in the non-compliance.”
Hulkenberg had qualified 12th and Magnussen 15th, but they would start from the pit lane, as they would need to break parc fermé conditions to make the necessary changes to bring their cars back within regulations.
Monaco GP Qualifying Results
2024 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 May 2024
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