Lando Norris took pole position for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, after a fantastic final lap saw him edge out home favourite Charles Leclerc.
The Brit’s 1:09.954s was just enough to take top spot from the home hero, with Oscar Piastri third, and Lewis Hamilton fourth.
Max Verstappen was in fifth, nearly seven tenths off pole, with Isack Hadjar sixth, and Fernando Alonso seventh.
Esteban Ocon was eighth for Haas, with Liam Lawson impressing in ninth, with Alex Albon’s Williams rounding up the top 10.
Q1 predictably saw all the big hitters put their banker laps in, with Leclerc, Piastri and Norris occupying the top three.
Hamilton was close to the drop zone in 13th with less than a minute to go, but set about working his way up the order as the seconds ticked away.
The Brit blitzed his way into safety, along with Verstappen, who jumped to third. Alonso also got himself firmly into Q2.
All seemed well in the world until Andrea Kimi Antonelli found, instead of the pitlane, the wall on the outside of the Nouvelle chicane.
His now-bent left suspension could not see him turn anymore, and gently went nose-first into the wall on the exit. A profusely apologetic Antonelli climbed out of the car, ending his afternoon’s interest.
Mercedes woes worsen as Norris and Leclerc trade blows
Q2 was barely five minutes in when Mercedes suffered its second big disappointment when George Russell’s car crawled to a halt in the tunnel. Attempting to get going again, Russell was told it was “game over” from the pitwall.
With 10 minutes left, Norris was quickest a 1:10.959s, the quickest time of the weekend so far, with Verstappen just under two tenths behind.
Leclerc smashed that with a 1:10.581s, with Hamilton going second, albeit three tenths adrift of his team-mate’s lap.
With both Mercedes out, the drop zone effectively consisted of three drivers, with Hulkenberg, Ocon and Tsunoda currently occpying those places.
Norris then retaliated with a 1:10.570s to go quickest again. Five drivers had now broken the 1:10.000 barrier – with Verstappen joining the Ferrari and McLaren pairs.
With Q2 ending, Albon went third, with Isack Hadjar cementing seventh, with Alonso putting-up a sterling showing with eighth.
Hulkenberg and Tsunoda were out, but Ocon managed to drag his Haas into 10th, dumping out Carlos Sainz in the process.
Piastri was the first to lay down a bunchmark, a 1:10.541, but Norris quickly displaced him by just under a tenth, with Leclerc and Hamilton third and fourth respectively.
Verstappen got up to fourth, with Ocon in seventh, as the field changed tyres for one last run.
Norris popped-up with just over two minutes left with a 1:10.125s, pinching provisional pole from Piastri. Both McLarens were sitting around half-a-second quicker than Leclerc in third.
Verstappen could only manage fifth, as Leclerc crossed to line to take first, to the delight of the home fans, but Norris was there to spoil the party.
A mesmerising 1:09.954s gave him pole position, a huge boost to McLaren and to his own confidence.
READ MORE – F1 2025 Monaco Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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