Kimi Antonelli took pole position for Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix by just 0.043 of a second, holding off a challenge from Ferrari and Red Bull to maintain Mercedes’ dominance Saturday.
Antonelli saved his best for last to beat Max Verstappen of Red Bull and ensure Mercedes upheld qualifying on pole for every grand prix this season. Lewis Hamilton was third for Ferrari.
“It was one of those laps that we call a magic lap. I was able to put it all together,” Antonelli said. The 19-year-old Antonelli’s teammate and title rival George Russell was only sixth.
Qualifying is typically more important in Monaco than any other track in F1 because it is almost impossible to overtake on the narrow, twisty street circuit.
Antonelli will now be favorite for a fifth grand prix win in a row on Sunday. That´s a feat that only Verstappen and Hamilton have achieved among current drivers. Mercedes is aiming to continue its run of winning every grand prix so far this season, though Lando Norris won one sprint race in Miami for McLaren.
Antonelli leads by 43 points from Russell after a tense wheel-to-wheel battle between them at the last race in Canada ended abruptly with an engine failure for Russell. Ferrari´s pace in Friday practice, where it led both sessions, raised hopes of a first win since October 2024 for the Italian team, but it ended up with neither car on the front row of the grid.
Ferrari was without team principal Fred Vasseur, who missed qualifying for medical reasons. Charles Leclerc starts his home race fourth and gave Ferrari work to do before the race to fix damage after he clipped a barrier on his final attempt.