Even though the 2026 Formula 1 season is only six races old, it is already becoming difficult to find new ways to describe the remarkable performances being produced by Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The young Mercedes driver delivered the most prestigious pole position of the year so far by conquering the streets of Monaco and beating Max Verstappen by just 0.043 seconds.
Ferrari ultimately had to settle for the second row, with Lewis Hamilton securing third place and Charles Leclerc qualifying fourth after a costly error during his final Q3 attempt. Nevertheless, the Scuderia once again demonstrated strong pace throughout the weekend, confirming the competitiveness it had shown during practice.
Q1: Leclerc starts strongly as Bortoleto triggers a red flag
The sixth qualifying session of the season took place in Monaco after a weekend that had offered no clear indication of the competitive hierarchy. Ferrari had emerged as the favourite following Friday’s running, but Mercedes reasserted itself in FP3, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli finishing more than three tenths clear of the field.
Conditions were particularly challenging, with track temperatures reaching 43°C, the highest seen all weekend. Pirelli brought its C3, C4 and C5 compounds to Monte Carlo, providing teams with a wide range of strategic options for qualifying.
The opening phase of Q1 was heavily affected by traffic, an issue made even more pronounced this season with 22 cars sharing the narrow Monaco circuit. Ferrari immediately showed its speed, with Charles Leclerc setting the early benchmark ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
As the session progressed, Max Verstappen and Andrea Kimi Antonelli joined the battle at the front, both positioning themselves behind the Ferrari driver from Monaco.
With just over two minutes remaining, Gabriel Bortoleto made a mistake approaching the harbour chicane. The Brazilian clipped the inside barrier while turning in, damaging the left-front suspension and bringing out the red flag. Although the Audi driver had already done enough to reach Q2, his qualifying session effectively ended there.
When the session resumed, little changed at the front as most of the top-ten runners remained in the garage. Further down the order, Carlos Sainz produced a strong final effort to secure progression. It was a disappointing outcome for Haas, Cadillac and Aston Martin, however, as all their cars were eliminated in Q1.
Q2: Red Bull strikes back as Verstappen takes control
The second segment began with Andrea Kimi Antonelli once again setting the pace, leading Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. Red Bull continued to look increasingly competitive around the streets of Monte Carlo, suggesting that the fight for pole position would remain wide open.
After his first run, Charles Leclerc requested a front-wing adjustment from his engineers, aiming to improve the car’s balance and gain additional confidence ahead of the decisive final session.
As the track evolved, Red Bull delivered a strong response. Verstappen produced an excellent lap to move ahead of Antonelli, while Isack Hadjar impressed once again by taking third place, only two tenths behind the reigning World Champion.
George Russell’s struggles continued on the other side of the Mercedes garage. Although he comfortably reached Q3, he remained more than half a second adrift of his teammate and never looked capable of matching Antonelli’s pace.
Eliminated at the end of Q2 were Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Arvid Lindblad and Gabriel Bortoleto, who was unable to participate following his earlier accident.
Antonelli delivers a Monaco masterpiece
The battle for pole position produced one of the most thrilling qualifying finales of the season.
On the opening runs in Q3, Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured provisional pole position, but Max Verstappen remained incredibly close. Just one thousandth of a second separated the Mercedes and the Red Bull, highlighting how fine the margins had become.
Lewis Hamilton initially occupied third place, while Charles Leclerc’s first attempt was compromised by a mistake. Ferrari subsequently opted to increase the fuel load slightly, allowing the Monegasque driver to prepare for two consecutive flying laps in the closing stages.
The star of qualifying, however, was undoubtedly Andrea Kimi Antonelli. After Verstappen had seemingly produced a sensational lap to move ahead of the Ferraris and take provisional pole, the young Italian responded under the chequered flag with an even faster effort.
Antonelli stopped the clocks at 1:12.051, securing the most prestigious pole position of his Formula 1 career and beating Verstappen by just 43 thousandths of a second.
Lewis Hamilton delivered an excellent final lap to climb to third, making full use of his vast experience and seven-time World Champion pedigree. The Ferrari driver edged ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, who ultimately had to settle for fourth place.
Leclerc’s final run ended in frustration after he clipped the outside barrier at Tabac. The impact damaged the car and forced him to park his Ferrari in the Rascasse escape road, ending any possibility of challenging for pole position in front of his home fans.
Isack Hadjar completed another impressive qualifying session in fifth place, ahead of a subdued George Russell, who finished four tenths slower than his Mercedes teammate.
Further back, McLaren endured a surprisingly difficult afternoon. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could manage only seventh and eighth respectively, while Pierre Gasly placed ninth for Alpine. Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten for Racing Bulls.
With overtaking notoriously difficult around Monaco, Kimi Antonelli’s pole position could prove invaluable on Sunday. Yet with Verstappen alongside him and both Ferrari SF-26 cars directly behind, the Monaco Grand Prix promises to deliver one of the most intriguing races of the season so far.
