As it happened
Q1 – Russell is quickest as Perez and Alonso struggle with the shock exit
After three busy practice sessions in which local hero Leclerc distinguished himself as the favorite for pole position, it was time for the most important qualifying hour of the season to begin, with clear skies and warm temperatures greeting the field.
With a lively track position around the narrow, winding streets of Monte Carlo, all drivers except the Ferraris headed straight away to get a provisional time on the board and try to secure safe passage from Q1 to Q2 – traffic at its worst in the opening stage.
Once each driver had at least one flyer to their name, Hulkenberg took pole position from Haas teammate Magnussen with a time of 1 minute and 12.416 seconds, followed by the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri, team leader Tsunoda, Verstappen’s Red Bull, and Aston Martin. Led by Stroll and speed training. Setter Leclerc.
Times quickly fell as drivers built confidence and track conditions improved, with Piastri leading by 1m11.881s during the second wave of races, as stewards noted potential blocking incidents between Sainz, Albon, Ricciardo and Bottas.
“This is the worst position… We were out of the stage with everyone,” Leclerc lamented at this point, sitting in a lowly 12th place after being one of the last to leave the pit lane, while Piastri continued to lead from Hamilton, Russell, Sainz, Verstappen, Gasly, Alonso, Ocon, Stroll, and Hulkenberg the early pacer.
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