Charles Leclerc picked the perfect time to secure his first Formula 1 pole of 2024: his home race, the Monaco Grand Prix.
It is the Monagasque driver’s third pole in four years here driving for Ferrari. However, he’s never been able to convert a pole into a race win on the legendary streets of Monte Carlo.
Oscar Piastri came just a blink of an eye short of taking his first career pole and will start second, an impressive run for McLaren, while Carlos Sainz makes it two Ferraris in the top three with third.
For Leclerc, it was a warm welcome from the hometown fans as he completed the final session atop the charts.
Now, he’s a man on a mission: finish the job and wind up in Sunday’s (May 26) victory lane.
“It was nice,” Leclerc said in the podium interview after earning the pole. “The feeling after a qualifying lap is always very special here. The excitement level is so high, it feels really good.
“However, I know more often than not in the past, qualifying is not everything. As much as it helps for Sunday’s race, we have to put everything together. In past years, we haven’t been able to do so. We are a stronger team, with a stronger position. I’m sure we can achieve great things tomorrow, and obviously the win is the target.”
Q3
Max Verstappen, already in a rough weekend so far, tagged the wall on his final hot lap, denying the defending champion a starting spot better than sixth.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:10:270m |
| 2. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | +0.154s |
| 3. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.248s |
| 4. | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | +0.272s |
| 5. | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.273s |
| 6. | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing RBPT Honda | +0.297s |
| 7. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.351s |
| 8. | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB RBPT Honda | +0.588s |
| 9. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | +0.678s |
| 10. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | +1.041s |
Q2
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | +0.069s |
| 12. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | +0.224s |
| 13. | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB RBPT Honda | +0.266s |
| 14. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | +0.347s |
| 15. | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | +0.509s |
Q1
Although there were no incidents in this session, the key story was that Fernando Alonso, who finished second in this race last year, failed to advance.
Sergio Perez was also slow in qualifying and will start in 18th.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | +0.132s |
| 17. | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | +0.133s |
| 18. | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing RBPT Honda | +0.173s |
| 19. | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | KICK Sauber Ferrari | +0.625s |
| 20. | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | KICK Sauber Ferrari | +1.141s |
F1 Qualifying Results for Monaco
With qualifying now out of the way, it’s time for the first leg of Sunday’s Triple Crown of Motorsports: the Monaco Grand Prix. Lights out for the legendary race will come on Sunday, May 25, at 10 a.m. ET. Television coverage will be provided by ABC.
Michael has watched NASCAR for 20 years and regularly covered the sport from 2013-2021, and also formerly covered the SRX series from 2021-2023. He now covers the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and road course events in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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