F1 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying: Norris Claims Record-Breaking Pole as Hamilton and Verstappen Cl...read more

F1 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying: Norris Claims Record-Breaking Pole as Hamilton and Verstappen Clash, Leclerc Misses Out

Lando Norris stunned the field with a record-breaking lap to take pole position at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, narrowly beating Charles Leclerc in a tense and dramatic qualifying session. The McLaren driver became the first ever to break the 70-second barrier around the streets of Monte Carlo, setting a blistering 1:09.954 on his final attempt.

Leclerc, who had been fastest in all three practice sessions, was left frustrated after being denied a home pole by just 0.109 seconds. He blamed traffic during Q3 for the disappointing outcome, calling the situation “a shame.”

Oscar Piastri secured third place in another strong showing for McLaren, while Lewis Hamilton managed fourth after a crash in final practice that required urgent repairs to his Ferrari. However, Hamilton is under investigation by the stewards for allegedly blocking Max Verstappen during Q1. Verstappen, who qualified fifth, had to take evasive action and described the incident as “massive impeding.”

Mercedes endured a tough qualifying with Kimi Antonelli crashing out in Q1 and George Russell suffering a mechanical issue in Q2, resulting in 15th and 14th grid positions respectively.

Top 10 Qualifiers:

Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:09.954
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.109s
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.175s
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.428s
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.715s
Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – +0.969s
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – +0.970s
Esteban Ocon (Haas) – +0.988s
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +1.175s
Alex Albon (Williams) – +1.259s

With overtaking notoriously difficult at Monaco, Norris’s pole puts him in a strong position heading into Sunday’s race, which starts at 2:00 PM UK time.