By Will Heys
Kimi Antonelli produced a “magic lap” to claim pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The championship leader’s time of 1:12.051 edged out Max Verstappen by 0.043 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton completing the top three in what was an extraordinary conclusion to the session.
It is Antonelli’s fourth career pole and arguably his most significant yet.
No driver has won a dry Monaco Grand Prix from outside the top three since 1985, and with overtaking here essentially a myth for the last few seasons, Saturday afternoon shapes the entire weekend.
The 19-year-old from Bologna is also the first Italian driver to take pole position at Monaco since Jarno Trulli in 2004.
Q1 set the tone for a chaotic hour as all 22 cars took to the streets of Monte Carlo simultaneously.
Gabriel Bortoleto brought proceedings to a halt with two minutes remaining after clipping the inside barrier at Turn 10 at the Nouvelle Chicane triggering a red flag.
With two minutes left of the session, there was barely enough time for drivers to squeeze in a final effort
Carlos Sainz found some pace to push Ocon into the drop zone.
Both Aston Martins, Cadillacs, and Haas’ were the ones heading for the garage.
Q2 initially looked like a Ferrari benefit, with Leclerc and Verstappen trading quick laps.
But Antonelli arrived and immediately reset the benchmark with a 1:12.7, before Verstappen fired in a 1:12.499 to top the session.
With Bortoleto’s Audi out of the running, there was one less car to worry about on track.
Both Williams drivers couldn’t quite find the time they needed and were bundled out.
Then came Q3.
Leclerc looked set to take what would have been another home pole.
On his final push lap, Leclerc hit the barriers at Tabac, suffering a rear-right puncture.
Ferrari will be checking every bolt on the #16 so Sunday brings no repeats of 2021.
Verstappen pounced to take provisional pole before Antonelli made his magic at the principality.
The Italian said: “I knew the last lap was good and I was just hoping that it would have been enough.
“It was very close and I’m very happy with that.
“I think this is one of the most intense, if not the most intense, qualifying of the year.
“You just keep trying to get close to the limit and you know when it’s about finding the last two tenths it’s not easy, because the wall starts to come closer.”
Verstappen had been struggling with his car but managed to bag P2.
“If you would have told me yesterday to be on the front row I would have definitely taken it,” he said.
Hamilton, who has not taken an F1 pole since Hungary in 2023, was gracious in defeat despite Ferrari looking so strong in practice.
The seven-time world champion said: “We barely changed anything but the car was drastically different once we got to qualifying for some reason.”
Mercedes continues to take pole at every Grand Prix in 2026.
With the street circuit making overtaking all but impossible, Sunday’s race looks set to be decided here.
It is hard to imagine a better position for Kimi Antonelli to be in to take a 5th consecutive win.
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