Antonelli on Monaco pole-position lap
Kimi Antonelli said his Monaco Grand Prix pole-position lap was a "magic lap" after edging Max Verstappen in a close qualifying battle at the Circuit de Monaco. Antonelli said: "It was one of those laps that we call a magic lap, you know? I was able to put it all together, and it was such a close qualifying session with Max. In the first run of Q3, there was just one thousandth between us, but I knew the last lap was good, and I was just hoping it would be enough. But yeah, it was very close, and I'm very happy with that."
Kimi Antonelli hails 'magic lap' after titanic Max Verstappen pole battle
Open original
🗞️ Latest Stories
Hamilton on Ferrari needing rain from third in Monaco
Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari will "probably" need rain to make progress from third on the grid at the Monaco Grand Prix, with sunny weather forecast and overtaking expected to be difficult. Hamilton said: "I mean, you know how these races go. It's very, very difficult. I don't think there's overtaking. I hope that we can get a really good start, maybe apply some pressure to the two. And we kind of need rain, probably. But nothing is impossible. We can apply the pressure, but it's going to be very hard to beat these two."
‘We need rain' – Lewis Hamilton concedes Monaco F1 win chances unlikely
Open original
Verstappen on Monaco qualifying feeling more natural to drive
Max Verstappen says Monaco Grand Prix qualifying let him “feel like myself again” in the car because it was possible to push flat out without managing the battery in the way required by Formula 1’s current powertrain regulations. Verstappen said: "If you can go flat out and you can just select the gears that you want to use in the corners, it's always going to be better. So, I finally felt just myself again in the car, let's say like that, with the way you want to use the gears. Unfortunately, of course we can't do that in too many places on the calendar, but that's what that makes it more and more natural to drive."
Max Verstappen "felt like myself again" in flat-out Monaco F1 qualifying
Open original
Leclerc on dirty air causing his Monaco Q3 crash
Charles Leclerc said dirty air made him lose control and crash in Q3 of Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, costing him a chance of pole position. Leclerc said: "I was very much on the edge, and I think it was a very good lap until then. But I never finished it, so it's a bit needless to say that. I had a little bit of dirty air in that lap where I lost it in Turn 12. I don't know, there was no traffic in itself, it was just dirty air. It made me lose a little bit the rear in entry, and I touched the wall."
Charles Leclerc explains crash that cost shot at Monaco F1 pole position
Open original
Hamilton on Monaco qualifying pace after negative comments
Lewis Hamilton says his Monaco Grand Prix qualifying performance shows he is not “lacking pace” despite what he called “negative comments”, after the Ferrari driver qualified third. Hamilton said: "I'm in a really good place with the car, I'm in a really good place with the team. You can see that I have decent pace still in me. There's no lacking of pace, which I'm really grateful and happy about, regardless of all the negative comments people have made over time. So, it's good. I'll just keep on putting the work in and I'll keep showing up and I'll keep delivering."
'I still have decent pace' - Hamilton hits out at 'negative comments'
Open original
Related stories (1)
Lewis Hamilton calls for answers after Ferrari ‘step back' in F1 Monaco qualifying
Leclerc on Ferrari braking uncertainty after Monaco qualifying
Charles Leclerc said he "don't really know where to brake" in his Ferrari after qualifying fourth for the Monaco Grand Prix, where he also crashed on his final Q3 lap. Leclerc said: "I'm very disappointed. It's been an incredibly tough weekend. It's been an incredibly tough two last weekends, with quite a lot of issues on my side. I'm pretty confident that we'll have a solution for the next race, but so far it's been very, very tricky. The fact that on braking I just don't really know where to brake still... but I wouldn't put the mistake only on that, it's for sure a combination of things."
Leclerc opens up on car issues and Q3 crash in Monaco
Open original
Hadjar on Monaco qualifying recovery after practice crash
Isack Hadjar said his Monaco Grand Prix qualifying was a "very good comeback" but "too messy" after taking fifth on the grid following a heavy crash in first practice. Hadjar said: "I think it was a very good comeback, but at the same time qualifying was too messy, and we did too many mistakes. Not the best way to build for Q3, and I left some time out there. FP2, my car was repaired, and my confidence needed rebuilding, and just a horrific day. But I made the most of FP3 this morning, and honestly, damage limitation, so I did well."
One Red Bull F1 youngster bounces back after "horrific day" at Monaco GP
Open original
Williams fined after Monaco pitlane near-miss
Williams has been fined €5,000 by Monaco Grand Prix stewards after a qualifying pitlane near-miss involving Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad. The stewards found that, after Carlos Sainz stopped in front of the Williams garage as Alex Albon approached, Albon drove around Sainz and briefly blocked Lindblad from entering his pit box, with Lindblad having “narrowly missed running over the foot of one of the mechanics attending to Car 23 (Albon)”. Williams admitted “it could have handled the situation differently”, with the stewards issuing a formal warning and the fine for the “potential safety issue”.
Williams hit with Monaco punishment after qualifying near-miss
Open original
F1 - 2026 Monaco Grand Prix Post-Qualifying Press Conference Transcript
Exclusive: BYD holds meetings with F1 and FIA at Monaco Grand Prix
Piastri on McLaren's grip struggles in Monaco qualifying
Oscar Piastri said McLaren were always likely to end up seventh in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, after the team struggled for grip compared to their rivals. Piastri said: "I think maybe there was a tiny bit more lap time out there but I think we were going to be seventh no matter what today. We struggled with the balance yesterday. Today the car has actually felt a little bit nicer but we're just lacking grip, it looks like, compared to the others. Not much you can do about it."
Piastri concedes McLaren would qualify P7 ‘no matter what'
Open original
What's so concerning about Russell's Antonelli admission
Piastri on McLaren's Monaco qualifying grip deficit
Oscar Piastri said McLaren are “just lacking grip” and that there were “not too many levers” available to improve it after he qualified seventh for the Monaco Grand Prix. Piastri said: "We're just lacking grip compared to the others. I think compared to yesterday, the car actually felt a pretty decent step nicer to drive, which is good. But also bad, when you're still as far off as we are. So we have got a bit closer, things feel a bit nicer, but when you are lacking grip, unfortunately, there's not too many levers you can pull to make up for it."
Oscar Piastri had ‘not many levers to pull' to improve Monaco F1 qualifying
Open original
Wolff on Russell's Monaco qualifying confidence struggle
Toto Wolff says George Russell’s Monaco Grand Prix qualifying struggle was driven by a lack of confidence in the Mercedes car, after Russell ended the session sixth while team-mate Kimi Antonelli took pole. Wolff said: "He just never had the confidence in the car. Qualifying started on a back foot. FP3 was still very OK. And once you start to run behind the performance and you lose the confidence, it's super difficult to catch up again. And I think it would have been one session more, he would have been there or thereabouts, but he didn't have any grip. Monaco, no grip means you can't push it."
Toto Wolff explains George Russell's F1 Monaco GP qualifying struggles
Open original
Verstappen on Red Bull's Monaco qualifying turnaround
Max Verstappen said Red Bull’s turnaround in Monaco qualifying was “extremely positive” after the team had “difficulties with the car” in final practice, with the Dutchman ending up second on the grid just 0.04 seconds behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen said: "If you would've told me yesterday [that I would] be on the front row, I definitely would've taken it. Also [in final practice] this morning, I think we had some difficulties with the car, so heading into Qualifying and being up there I think was extremely positive. Overall, of course, I'm very happy with how Qualifying went, how all the laps went, even though I had to deal with all the traffic and the walls."
Verstappen hails ‘extremely positive' turnaround in Monaco
Open original
Russell on pace deficit to Antonelli in Monaco qualifying
George Russell says he is “bamboozled” by his pace deficit to Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying, and thinks the gap is linked to how their different driving styles affect the tyres. Russell said: "There's clearly a difference in driving style between the two of us. It's clear in the data. The difference is how we're driving has such an impact on the tyres, and he's just getting the tyres in a nicer window than me and a nicer balance over the course of the lap, and the pace is just coming easier for him. I don't know why that is. I've been driving in this manner in my whole career and now, for whatever reason, it's not working with this car."
What "bamboozled" Russell suspects is behind gap to Kimi Antonelli
Open original
Related stories (4)
Russell 'bamboozled' by Monaco struggles after fresh title blow
George Russell issues damning assessment of his own driving after F1 qualifying woe
'Bamboozled' George Russell questions perplexing loss of Mercedes pace
Russell has ‘been nowhere in the last three races' after ‘easy’ start to season
Winners and losers from 2026 Monaco Grand Prix F1 qualifying
Verstappen on complicated starts and Ferraris behind in Monaco
Max Verstappen says Formula 1 starts have been “quite complicated” this season and he is wary of the Ferraris behind him after qualifying on the front row for the Monaco Grand Prix, second to Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen said: "And then tomorrow, let's see... These cars are quite complicated to start, so I have two cars behind me that start quite well, but we'll see."
Max Verstappen names Red Bull fear despite stunning Monaco qualifying
Open original
Russell on being off Antonelli's pace in Monaco qualifying
George Russell said he does not know why he was so far off the pace of Mercedes team-mate and title rival Kimi Antonelli after qualifying sixth for the Monaco Grand Prix, with Antonelli taking pole. Russell said: "I don't really know what's going on to be honest. It's clearly something with my driving that's not helping the car at the moment. But that was there at the start of the year as well. If I look at Melbourne and at least China until I have my issues, it was P1 every single session. The last three races have just been nowhere. So I don't have an answer for that."
George Russell bemused by pace deficit to F1 title rival Kimi Antonelli
Open original
Related stories (1)
‘Nothing clicking' for Russell in Monaco Qualifying
Leclerc on brake issues after Monaco qualifying
Charles Leclerc said he was “very disappointed” to qualify fourth on the grid for his home race, after struggling with his Ferrari’s brakes and describing another difficult weekend following similar problems in Canada. Leclerc said: "I'm very disappointed. It's been an incredibly tough weekend. It has been an incredibly tough two last weekends with quite a lot of issues on my side. I'm pretty confident we'll have a solution for next race. So far it's been very, very tricky. The fact that, on braking, I just don't really know where to brake getting to Q3 after [three practice sessions] makes it very tricky for me."
Leclerc “very disappointed” with fourth on grid after “two incredibly tough weekends”
Open original
Hamilton on Ferrari feeling drastically different in Monaco qualifying
Lewis Hamilton said his Ferrari felt “drastically different” in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix compared with practice, despite the team “barely” changing anything, after taking third on the grid. Hamilton said: "Tough for us, I think we were looking so strong in Practice and we barely changed anything but the car was drastically different once we got to Qualifying for some reason, so we have to take a deep dive into that. I gave it absolutely everything and was as close to the barriers as I could be."
Car 'drastically different' in Monaco Qualifying – Hamilton
Open original
Related stories (2)
Lewis Hamilton calls for Ferrari SF-26 investigation after Monaco GP investigation
Lewis Hamilton calls for Ferrari investigation after mysterious setback
2026 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying day in pictures
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
Williams is still the only team where Carlos Sainz hasn't made Q3 in Monaco for
Williams ❌ (0/2)
Ferrari ✅ (4/4)
McLaren ✅ (1/1)
Renault ✅ (1/1)
Toro Rosso ✅ (3/3)
2h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
🚨 For the first time ever, Charles Leclerc made it to Q3 in Monaco and was outqualified by his teammate.
That was done by none other than Sir Lewis Hamilton.
2h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
🚨 Kimi Antonelli just became ..
• Youngest polesitter in Monaco’s history
• First Mercedes polesitter in Monaco since 2019
• 2nd Italian polesitter in Monaco’s history
75+ years of Monaco & a teenager just went fastest here. We’re watching a generational talent.
2h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
🚨 Fastest sectors in Monaco qualifying
S1 - Max Verstappen
S2 - Lewis Hamilton
S3 - Max Verstappen
Fastest driver - Kimi Antonelli
2h ago
Holiness
@F1BigData
🚨FASTEST SECTORS IN MONACO QUALY
Antonelli is P2 in all 3 sectors, but he's the one who took pole position
2h ago
Daniel Valente 🏎️
@F1GuyDan
Toto Wolff on the comparisons between Max Verstappen & Kimi Antonelli
“Max was very complimentary about Kimi straight from the get-go.”
“It needs one to know one.”
1h ago
Autosport
@autosport
Max and Lewis were asked if they had any advice for Kimi tomorrow 😅
1h ago
Formula 1
@F1
Posing as the top three in Monaco Qualifying! 😮💨
1. Antonelli 🇮🇹
2. Verstappen 🇳🇱
3. Hamilton 🇬🇧
#F1 #MonacoGP
1h ago
The Race
@wearetherace
🗣️ "It's no excuse, it's just a reality [...] but it's not clicking right now."
George Russell was left confused by why his driving style isn't working with the car - and why things *did* gel at the start of the season:
1h ago
Bonnington on Antonelli's raw talent in early Mercedes testing
Mercedes race engineer Peter Bonnington said it was clear Kimi Antonelli had “raw talent” almost immediately when the Italian first tested the team’s TPC cars. Peter Bonnington said: "To be fair, it was before he actually started competing in the championship. When we had him in the TPC cars, it was quite evident that he had the talent straight away, you know. You have young drivers come along and it takes them a while to get up to speed. I think it probably took Kimi about four laps to start matching the high speed, and if you can match the high speed, you know that the kid's got some raw talent."
Peter Bonnington reveals moment Mercedes realised Kimi Antonelli's “raw talent”
Open original
Four drivers summoned to stewards
Charles Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg, Alex Albon and Arvid Lindblad have been summoned to the stewards after qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. Leclerc is to be investigated as “another party” following an allegation of Hulkenberg “driving unnecessarily slowly during the tunnel”, contrary to race director Rui Marques’ pre-event notes, with the hearing set for 17:45 local time. Albon and Lindblad have also been summoned over a pit-lane incident that was not shown on the world feed, and will see the stewards at 18:00.
Multiple F1 drivers facing Monaco GP qualifying stewards investigation
Open original
Related stories (1)
Stewards summon Hulkenberg for “driving unnecessarily slowly in the tunnel”
Antonelli denies Verstappen pole as Leclerc hits wall on final lap
F1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli snatched Monaco GP pole position away from Max Verstappen as Ferrari's challenge fell short in qualifying
Related stories (6)
F1 Monaco GP: Kimi Antonelli takes sensational pole as George Russell struggles to sixth
Antonelli seizes pole in thrilling Monaco Qualifying
Kimi Antonelli stuns Monaco after outrageous Max Verstappen effort in qualifying
Antonelli snatches dramatic Monaco pole as Leclerc hits wall
Antonelli denies Verstappen for Monaco Grand Prix pole position
Antonelli pips Verstappen to Monaco pole
More in the app
Download AppDownload SeedStream for more F1 stories
Get the full feed, faster alerts, and the stories worth following on your phone.