2026 Monaco Grand Prix starting grid: how the field lines up for Sunday’s race. F1 Monaco Grand Prix grid: full starting order for the Monte Carlo race.

2026 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying results

F1 Monaco qualifying report

There are running out of superlatives to describe what Kimi Antonelli is achieving in Formula 1. If his first three pole positions were enough to define an outstanding season, the one he delivered in Monte Carlo could become one of the performances that define an entire career.

Fortunately for Formula 1 fans, that career is only just beginning.

The young Italian produced a breathtaking lap of 1:12.051 around the streets of Monaco to secure another pole position, beating two giants of the sport in Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Between them, the Dutchman and the seven-time world champion have accumulated 152 pole positions, yet neither could match Antonelli when it mattered most.

For a brief moment, it looked as though Max Verstappen had done enough. The Red Bull driver delivered an almost flawless lap, backed up by a stunning final sector, and briefly moved to the top of the timesheets.

Antonelli, however, found even more pace.

The Mercedes driver improved once again and snatched pole position by just 43 thousandths of a second. Nevertheless, Verstappen can take plenty of positives from qualifying. Considering Ferrari’s dominance throughout much of the weekend, a front-row start seemed unlikely only a few hours earlier.

Ferrari, meanwhile, once again failed to maximise its potential when Q3 arrived.

Lewis Hamilton emerged as the stronger of the two Ferrari drivers, beating Charles Leclerc in a qualifying head-to-head for the first time since joining the Scuderia. For Charles Leclerc, the session became increasingly complicated after a difficult final segment.

The Monegasque suffered a slide at Massenet and was forced onto an alternative run plan compared to his rivals. As a result, he set his fastest lap earlier than most of the field, before track evolution naturally improved conditions for the drivers who followed.

Attempting to rescue a front-row start with a final all-or-nothing effort, Charles Leclerc pushed to the limit but ended his session in the barriers at Tabac. The incident left him fourth on the grid despite Ferrari arriving in Monaco as the clear favourite.

For a circuit that should have masked the Ferrari SF-26’s biggest weaknesses, the outcome represents a major disappointment for the team.

If Ferrari underperformed, George Russell’s qualifying session may have been even more concerning.

The British driver was comprehensively outpaced by his teammate and finished almost four tenths of a second behind Antonelli. The driver who built a reputation as one of Formula 1’s strongest qualifiers struggled for grip throughout the session and never looked capable of matching the pace at the front.

Russell even found himself behind Isack Hadjar, who produced an impressive recovery after crashing during FP1. The Racing Bulls driver bounced back brilliantly to secure fifth place on the grid.

McLaren also endured a surprisingly difficult qualifying session. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could only manage the fourth row, with Piastri once again finishing ahead of his teammate.

Further down the order, Pierre Gasly led the Alpine charge ahead of Liam Lawson, while Haas suffered a disappointing afternoon with both drivers eliminated in Q1. Cadillac, meanwhile, comfortably outperformed a struggling Aston Martin team that locked out the final row of the grid.

Relive the Monaco qualifying session

You can relive all the drama and excitement of Monaco Grand Prix qualifying through our live coverage here:

2026 Monaco GP live coverage: Kimi Antonelli starts from pole as Ferrari chases opportunity