Lando Norris shattered the track record to put McLaren on pole for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday, edging out hometown favorite Charles Leclerc, who will start alongside him on the front row.
McLaren teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri secured third, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth – but could face a stewards’ inquiry for allegedly impeding Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver will start fifth.
Norris set the pace early in Q3 but had to go even faster after Leclerc briefly snatched provisional pole at the flag. In the end, Norris reclaimed the top spot by 0.109 seconds, denying Leclerc a fourth Monaco pole in five years.
The Briton clocked a blistering lap of 1 minute, 9.954 seconds around the treacherous, twisty, metal-fenced street circuit – a major statement in his title bid.
“It’s been a long time coming. I feel good. I don’t think you realize how good this feels after quite a few struggles in the last few months,” Norris said. “Monaco is a beautiful place. The hardest track to do it and up against the hometown hero.”
Norris trails Piastri by 13 points after seven races. Overtaking is notoriously difficult in Monaco, and although a second pit stop is mandatory this year, pole position in the principality remains a massive advantage.
Leclerc had been fastest in the first qualifying phase, but Norris was quicker in the second.
“We know that we don’t quite have the car to go for wins this year, but this weekend the car felt good. Starting second here, it’s going to be tricky to take that first place,” said the Monegasque driver.
Qualifying turned into a nightmare for Mercedes, with Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli crashing at the end of Q1 and qualifying 15th. George Russell’s car then stopped in the tunnel with a suspected electrical issue.
“Game over. Sorry, mate,” his race engineer said over the team radio.
The session was red-flagged with 10 minutes remaining in Q2 as marshals pushed Russell’s car into the sunlight and down an escape road.
Russell, fourth in the standings and one of only four drivers to score points in every race this season, will start 14th.
Oliver Bearman, who received a 10-place grid penalty in Friday practice for failing to slow under red flags, qualified 17th. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, who carries a one-place grid drop, qualified 19th.
