2019 Monaco GP qualifying Ferrari report: Sebastian P4, Charles P16

Lewis Hamilton beat Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas to pole position for Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix, while Charles Leclerc suffered a shock early exit.

Hamilton trailed Bottas after the first Q3 runs but put in a breath-taking final effort to clock a time of 1:10.166, despite a wild moment through Rascasse, to edge his team-mate by 0.086s.

It marked Mercedes’ fifth front-row lockout of the campaign and the team’s – and Hamilton’s – first pole position in Monaco since 2015.

Hamilton’s Q3 effort also ended Bottas’ run of three pole positions in a row, with the Finn erring through Portier on his final push effort, prompting him to abandon his lap.

Red Bull’s anticipated challenge failed to materialise as Max Verstappen finished almost half a second in arrears, while Sebastian Vettel was subdued throughout the session.

Sebastian Vettel twice clipped the barriers, once in Q1 and again at the end of Q3, but it was team-mate Leclerc who was the biggest casualty of the session.

Charles Leclerc led the way through third practice on home soil but a strategic blunder from Ferrari means he will start the race from 16th position.

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Leclerc was kept in the garage during the closing stages of Q1 and such was the rate of track improvement that he gradually slid down the order.

He was ultimately shuffled out of the top 15 by team-mate Vettel, who had been in the drop zone in the wake of abandoning an early lap when he brushed the wall exiting Piscine.

A furious Leclerc, speaking to broadcasters in the wake of his early exit, said Ferrari had yet to offer an explanation for why they did not run again.

Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Qualifying Results

Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 1m 10.166s

Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport + 0.086s

Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 0.475s

Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari + 0.781s

Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 0.875s

Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 0.943s

Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault F1 Team + 1.052s

Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.105s

Carlos Sainz ESP McLaren F1 Team + 1.251s

Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.487s

— Fastest time in Q2: 1m 10.618s —