Kimi Antonelli stuns Monaco after outrageous Max Verstappen effort in qualifying

Kimi Antonelli clinched a sublime pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the death around the tight and twisty streets of Monte Carlo.

Charles Leclerc endured a messy Q3, clouting the wall on his final push lap to go forth fastest ahead of Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull.

George Russell struggled throughout the grid-setting hour in the Principality, only able to go sixth quickest, and will face a tough ask in the 78-lap race to prevent his Mercedes team-mate from further extending his commanding advantage atop the F1 drivers' standings.

McLaren flirted with contention, but quickly faded as the view, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris locking out the fourth row of the grid as they slipped back to where the constructors' champions predicted was achievable.

Gabriel Bortoleto triggered a red flag during Q1, ruining the laps of numerous drivers, but making it through to Q2 in P15, which he would not compete in.

The full qualifying report for the 2026 F1 Monaco Grand Prix continues below.

Q3

McLaren immediately looked in the hunt at the start of Q3, appearing to be comfortable for the first time all weekend, but they would be bettered in short order.

Hamilton brought the hammer down with a 1:12.553, before being handed a black-and-white flag for failing to follow the race director's instructions.

But it was Antonelli and Verstappen who would lead the way, heading into the 1:12.3s, with just a single millisecond separating the pair.

Leclerc made a mistake, but avoided putting his Ferrari into the wall. However, he would have to head back out on track early to get his banker in on his final set of soft compound tyres.

After having to back out of his first effort, he stunned his adoring home crowd by taking provisional pole, with a 1:12.351, only 25 milliseconds faster than Antonelli.

Whilst he would have time for a final push lap, the Mercedes and Verstappen enjoyed the benefit of fresher tyres.

And when those final push laps come, Verstappen would defy all expectations — but it was not enough. After the Dutchman bested Hamilton by almost two-tenths of a second, Antonelli had enough in his back pocket to outlast the 71-time grand prix winner.

Leclerc hit the barrier on his final effort, having to settle for fourth on the grid, having run out of sync with his rivals.

Q2

Ahead of Q2 getting underway, Carlos Sainz, who had got through to the middle segment of qualifying by the skin of his teeth, was noted for an unsafe release.

Replays showed the Williams driver let into the pit lane as Verstappen was coming past. The Dutchman made his lack of amusement known at the near-miss via team radio. However, the FIA declined to take a closer look, with no further action confirmed.

With 10 minutes of the 15-minute session remaining, Leclerc led the way before being usurped by Antonelli and Norris. The Mercedes driver's 1:12.778 just a shade slower than his best time in FP3.

Verstappen underlined that pole could go a number of ways by slotting into second, between the Italian and the McLaren.

Further back, Arvid Lindblad joined the two Williams drivers and both Alpines at risk of elimination as the clock neared the final five minutes of Q2.

Russell continued to struggle in eighth, some six-tenths of a second adrift of his team-mate. Meanwhile, Verstappen smashed Antonelli's 1:12.704 with a 1:12.499 to send a serious statement of intent ahead of Q3.

Hadjar proved the pace in the RB22 was not isolated to the four-time F1 drivers' champion's side of the garage, putting his Red Bull third fastest ahead of the Ferraris and McLarens.

Compatriot Gasly was able to escape danger, as Alex Albon, Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad joined Bortoleto in the elimination zone.

Albon and Lindblad will be investigated following qualifying for a pit lane incident, and the latter driver was also noted for impeding, although there will be no investigation there.

OUT IN Q2: P11 - Alex Albon; P12 - Carlos Sainz; P13 - Nico Hulkenberg; P14 - Franco Colapinto; P15 - Arvid Lindblad; P16 - Gabriel Bortoleto

Q1

As the most important qualifying session of the F1 season got underway, the field treated themselves to a couple of preparation laps before going full tilt.

Hamilton found himself pushed back by team-mate Leclerc, with Colapinto overtaking him and scuppering the seven-time F1 drivers' champion's warm-up.

Hadjar, meanwhile, was furious at "the worst prep lap ever" in his Red Bull, questioning what the Milton Keynes-based squad was doing.

As the clock ticked towards the seven-minute mark of the 18-minute session, Leclerc set the benchmark at 1:14.141, almost a second and a half slower than the time Antonelli managed in FP3.

Verstappen, on an offset run plan, encountered significant traffic on his opening gambit and was only able to submit a 1:14.5, as those already on the board brought the hammer down considerably.

Leclerc continued to lead the way, with a 1:13.339, some four-tenths quicker than Norris in second.

With seven minutes remaining, Russell was at risk, in P17, but his second effort elevated his Mercedes to P10 — the British driver evidently struggling for pace with a low 1:14.

The Alpines of Gasly and Colapinto joined the expected bottom quartet with just five laps to go. Could either driver do anything to avoid being consigned to the fate of the Aston Martins and Cadillacs?

Out front, Leclerc continued to go quicker, with a 1:13.293, to be joined by a resurgent Verstappen, who suddenly looked as comfortable as he did in Friday practice.

With just a couple of minutes to run, Antonelli was shown a black-and-white flag for failing to follow the race director's instructions, but more drama was to come.

Bortoleto clipped the inside wall at the entrance of the Nouvelle Chicane, breaking a front left track rod and stopping the clock at 2:11. Oliver Bearman and Sainz found themselves unexpectedly in jeopardy, sitting in P18 and P19, respectively. 

The Williams driver was the only driver able to improve at the death, going tenth fastest, which pushed the other Haas of Esteban Ocon into the drop zone.

Aston Martin's difficult weekend saw both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll outqualified by the Cadillacs, and will start the Monaco Grand Prix from the back row.

OUT IN Q1: P17 - Esteban Ocon; P18 - Sergio Perez; P19 - Oliver Bearman; P20 - Valtteri Bottas; P21 - Fernando Alonso; P22 - Lance Stroll