Lando Norris beats fast Ferraris to pole in thrilling Monaco qualifying
The Brit overcame a car unsuited to the Monaco circuit to beat the favourites to pole position.
MONACO–All signs pointed to Ferrari being fastest around the streets of Monte Carlo but it was Lando Norris who put his McLaren on pole position, staking his claim ahead of the historic Grand Prix.
"Pole in Monaco, it feels good! We’ve worked hard to have a day like this," said Norris.
"It’s very special to do it here in Monaco, the hardest track to take pole, and I'm very proud of the whole team, here at the track and back at the factory."
It was Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton who did continue to show the Ferrari pace in the early stages of Q1, but it was soon apparent a five-way fight was underway with the two McLaren drivers and Max Verstappen all tussling for the top spot.
Leclerc went quickest in Q1 as Gabriel Bortoleto, Ollie Bearman, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, and Franco Colapinto were eliminated.
Some, like Gasly, had been on a final run before Andrea Kimi Antonelli hit the wall at the Nouvelle Chicane, bringing the session to an end under the red flag.
Antonelli was out with his damage, leaving four drivers on the bubble in Q2, with Lando Norris surging to the top of the time sheets ahead of Charles Leclerc and the Williams of Alex Albon.
Williams had tried a different strategy with medium tyres to start Q2, but a switch to softs saw Albon improve to the top three, while his teammate Carlos Sainz could not, eliminated in 11th ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg, George Russell, and Kimi Antonelli.
It was a shootout for pole, with Piastri setting the first competitive lap before Norris, then Leclerc went fastest.
Norris went faster again on his final attempt claiming the all-important pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Norris was on perfect form to overcome the mismatch between car and track in an imperfect, ragged lap, with the car bouncing over the kerbs at the Nouvelle Chicane and wobbling through the Swimming Pool section, but it was enough to set a new lap record around the streets of Monaco.
"We employed a different run plan to our rivals but it’s what we believed would be best and we stuck with it," said Norris.
"The final lap in Q3 around this circuit is about who can risk a little bit more. It was a well put-together lap and it feels good when you cross the line and know it has paid off. I'm going to live in the moment for a little bit and then shift focus to tomorrow.”
Charles Leclerc was second, with championship leader Australian Oscar Piastri in third, and Lewis Hamilton in fourth, although the Brit was under investigation for allegedly impeding Max Verstappen and received a three-place penalty.
It was a massive session for the Racing Bulls, with Isack Hadjar in sixth and Liam Lawson ninth in the final qualifying standings.
Polesitter Lando Norris will go into the Grand Prix as favourite, but the result is uncertain with new rules mandating a minimum of two pit stops during the race.
The Formula One Monaco Grand Prix is underway at 11pm AEST on Sunday.
