Leclerc secured pole in Monaco, edging out Piastri. Verstappen managed only sixth. Ferrari and McLaren dominated, with Gasly placing Alpine in Q3.
After three practice sessions led by Charles Leclerc, the moment of truth arrived in Monaco with the qualifying session. More critical here than at any other circuit, it’s considered the most crucial part of the weekend in the Principality due to the difficulty of overtaking during the race.
Leclerc was dominant in all three sessions, although his lead over Max Verstappen in FP3 wasn’t the largest. The McLaren F1 drivers were slightly behind but had the potential to aim for the front row, as did the Mercedes drivers, with Lewis Hamilton particularly impressive so far.
Behind them, a good result from Carlos Sainz, George Russell, or Sergio Pérez couldn’t be ruled out, and one should also watch out for outsiders like Fernando Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda, or Nico Hülkenberg making it into Q3.
Notably, Lando Norris received his second reprimand of the season for expressing frustration towards George Russell during FP3, after being hindered and slightly pushed towards the wall at the tunnel exit. The stewards didn’t consider his gesture dangerous but deemed such displays of annoyance could lead to risky situations.
Max Verstappen received a warning for driving unusually slowly on track. After being impeded during one of his laps, he braked and suddenly moved to the left at the start of the straight, obstructing a following Williams.
Q1 – 18 Minutes
Hamilton set the first fast lap with a 1’12″954, ahead of Tsunoda and Russell, who couldn’t surpass the Japanese driver. Verstappen clocked the fastest first sector and took the lead with a 1’12″790.
Kevin Magnussen recorded the best time with 1’12″572, surpassed by Nico Hülkenberg’s 1’12″416. Piastri couldn’t do better with 1’12″644. Leclerc also didn’t improve on the Haas times, only placing sixth. Norris finished his lap in third, 0″193 behind Hülkenberg.
Russell improved with a 1’12″267, and Esteban Ocon posted the third-fastest time. Sainz took the second spot, and Verstappen improved with a 1’12″084. Piastri then accelerated and set a 1’11″881. Alonso posted the third-fastest time, with Lance Stroll in fourth.
Leclerc hadn’t found his rhythm yet, only setting the ninth fastest time. Daniel Ricciardo was impeded at Casino by a Stake, while the stewards noted an incident between Sainz and Alex Albon.
Pierre Gasly took the third spot, and Ocon the fifth, with times in the 1’12 range. Leclerc complained about the way he was sent out on track: “This is the worst position; we’re out of sync with everyone.” Pérez set the 14th fastest time, with Albon doing better than the Mexican..
Hamilton Climbs to Second on an Evolving Track, Sainz Takes Fourth
Five Drivers within a Tenth of a Second, Leclerc Only 13th with 5 Minutes Remaining in Q1
Hamilton moved up to second place on a rapidly improving track, while Sainz secured the fourth fastest time. Five drivers were within a tenth of a second. Leclerc was only 13th with five minutes left in Q1, prompting the Monegasque driver to launch another flying lap.
Magnussen reclaimed the fastest time with a 1’11″8, but Leclerc immediately bettered it with a 1’11″653. Hülkenberg confirmed Haas’s strong form, just two-tenths behind Leclerc. Pérez was provisionally eliminated with 3 minutes 30 seconds remaining in Q1.
Verstappen moved up to third, and Albon placed fifth. Bottas couldn’t do better than 18th, while Tsunoda set the fastest time in the second sector, climbing to seventh. Ocon took the tenth spot, and Gasly aborted his attempt, failing to improve.
Pérez managed a difficult 14th, and Zhou remained 20th. Russell set the fastest time with a 1’11″492, and Hamilton was second, just 0.036 seconds behind his teammate. Norris was among the eliminated before his final lap.
Alonso couldn’t improve from his 13th position, amid a traffic jam at the Rascasse. Sargeant placed ahead of Pérez, while Sainz took third. Albon moved up to fifth, Gasly climbed to seventh, and Pérez to ninth. Piastri took the second spot. Pérez and Alonso, who did not complete another lap, were surprising eliminations in Q1.
The eliminated drivers were Alonso, Sargeant, Pérez, Bottas, and Zhou.
Q2 – 15 Minutes
Norris set a time of 1’11″372, bettered by Verstappen with a 1’11″196. Leclerc couldn’t match the Dutchman’s time and placed second. Tsunoda then took the second spot, while Hülkenberg brushed the wall at the exit of the first corner. Sainz beat Verstappen with a 1’11″177.
Hamilton’s lap placed him eighth, behind Norris and Piastri. Verstappen improved to a 1’11″019. Hülkenberg would be under investigation after the session for impeding Ocon at the top of Beaurivage and at Casino. The Frenchman set the fourth fastest time.
Hülkenberg didn’t improve further, while Albon was just a few hundredths of a second from the provisional top 10. Ricciardo couldn’t do better than 14th, one second behind Verstappen and eight-tenths behind his teammate Tsunoda. Gasly improved to sixth.
Hamilton Improves with Second Best Sector, Climbs to Third
Hamilton improved with the second-best sector overall, moving up to third, just under a tenth behind Verstappen. Piastri clocked the fastest time at 1’10″756, despite complaining about hitting the barrier. Leclerc improved but fell short of the Australian by 0.069 seconds.
Norris also improved, setting a 1’10″732, 24 milliseconds ahead of his teammate. Albon moved up to a respectable eighth. Stroll, unable to improve from 13th, missed out on Q3.
Verstappen slotted between the McLarens, and Hamilton moved up to sixth ahead of Sainz. Ricciardo improved but only to 13th. Gasly climbed to fifth, and Tsunoda improved to ninth.
The eliminated drivers were Ocon, Hülkenberg, Ricciardo, Stroll, and Magnussen.
Q3 – 12 Minutes
Albon set a 1’11″805, beaten by Hamilton’s 1’10″975. Leclerc, worried about a strange pedal feeling, nonetheless bested Hamilton with a 1’10″418. Russell and Gasly took a second warm-up lap.
Piastri set the second-fastest time, with Norris in third, while Verstappen also took a second warm-up lap. Sainz moved to third, between the McLarens.
Russell placed fourth, half a second behind Leclerc, while Verstappen lost time in sector 2, finishing with the third-fastest time at 0.149 seconds, behind Leclerc and Piastri. Gasly temporarily held the eighth spot, ahead of Tsunoda.
After his first fast lap, Verstappen complained about recurring issues at turns 5 and 10 (Mirabeau and the Port Chicane). It was unclear what exactly was troubling the Dutchman. Albon, running his sole Q3 lap later than others, temporarily placed his Williams in seventh.
Sainz and Verstappen took a second tire preparation lap, while the Mercedes drivers immediately started another fast lap. Hamilton improved to fourth, two-tenths off the pace. Russell bettered this, moving to third ahead of Verstappen.
Verstappen complained about brushing the wall as Leclerc improved again to 1’10″270. Piastri improved but remained second. Sainz also improved, climbing to third. Norris bettered his time to fourth, while Verstappen failed to improve his first sector and abandoned his lap. Gasly improved but stayed in tenth.
Leclerc took pole position ahead of Piastri, with their teammates Sainz and Norris in third and fourth. Russell placed fifth ahead of Verstappen, only sixth. Hamilton was seventh, followed by Tsunoda, Albon, and Gasly. Verstappen’s streak of nine consecutive pole positions ended, leaving him one short of the all-time record.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:11.584 | 1:10.825 | 1:10.270 |
| 02 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:11.500 | 1:10.756 | 1:10.424 |
| 03 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:11.543 | 1:11.075 | 1:10.518 |
| 04 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:11.760 | 1:10.732 | 1:10.542 |
| 05 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:11.492 | 1:10.929 | 1:10.543 |
| 06 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:11.711 | 1:10.745 | 1:10.567 |
| 07 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:11.528 | 1:11.056 | 1:10.621 |
| 08 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:11.852 | 1:11.106 | 1:10.858 |
| 09 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:11.623 | 1:11.216 | 1:10.948 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:11.714 | 1:10.896 | 1:11.311 |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:11.887 | 1:11.285 | |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:11.876 | 1:11.440 | |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:11.785 | 1:11.482 | |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:11.728 | 1:11.563 | |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:11.832 | 1:11.725 | |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:12.019 | ||
| 17 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:12.020 | ||
| 18 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:12.060 | ||
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:12.512 | ||
| 20 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:13.028 |
- You may also like>Wolff: Mercedes F1 Not Competitive Enough for Verstappen
- Following us on Facebook and Twitter
Leclerc Shines in Monaco Qualifying, Piastri 2nd. Leclerc Shines in Monaco Qualifying, Piastri 2nd. f1 2024 Leclerc Shines in Monaco Qualifying, Piastri 2nd
