Kimi Antonelli made a mockery of suggestions the Monaco Grand Prix would stall his incredible start to the Formula 1 season by securing pole position.
Australia’s Oscar Piastri struggled during qualifying and will start seventh on the grid.
“We’re just lacking performance compared to the guys ahead and we just have to accept that,” said Piastri, who clocked a best lap of 1 minute and 12.624 seconds.
The qualifying battle lived up to expectations with provisional pole changing hands several times before championship leader Antonelli produced a slick final lap in his Mercedes with a time of 1:12.051.
He edged out Oracle Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.043 seconds to become the first Italian since Jarno Trulli in 2004 to take pole position in the principality.
“It was one of those laps that we call a magic lap,” said Antonelli, after claiming his fourth pole in six races this season.
“I was able to put it all together. It was such a close qualifying with Max.
“I knew the last lap was good. I was just hoping that it would be enough but it was very close.”
Oscar Piastri could only manage seventh place in qualifying. (Getty Images: Anni Graf)
Antonelli, 19, is the youngest driver to lead the championship.
He has won the last four races, but the unique nature of Monaco’s twisting circuit full of slow corners was supposed to take away Mercedes’s power advantage.
Ferrari has been strongly tipped as race favourites but had to be content with the second row on the grid with Lewis Hamilton third quickest and local favourite Charles Leclerc fourth.
Isack Hadjar, in the second Oracle Red Bull, bounced back from a nasty crash in practice to qualify fifth with Antonelli’s teammate George Russell a disappointing sixth.
Reigning world champion and last year’s Monaco winner Lando Norris will be on the fourth row alongside McLaren teammate Piastri.
Reuters
