Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen by 0.043-seconds. It will be an all-Ferrari second row, with Lewis Hamilton lining up third and Charles Leclerc fourth.Saturday is when the magic of Monaco comes alive. Race day usually faces criticism because the tight confines of the street circuit combined with the larger size of the modern day Formula 1 cars means there’s a lack of overtaking.Qualifying on Saturday, though, is a thrill, as the 22 drivers navigate through the streets of the principality where there’s little room for error.Antonelli, who has won the last four consecutive races, held provisional pole after the initial runs in Q3, but Verstappen was just 0.001-seconds off at this stage. Ferrari driver Hamilton held provisional third but was nearly two-tenths of a second off of Antonelli.
The only one who didn’t have a representative time was Leclerc, who made a mistake at Massenet. But his subsequent run looked much closer to what you’d expect from the Monaco native. He looked lightning quick and pipped Antonelli’s provisional pole lap by 0.024-seconds.But it wasn’t enough. Verstappen, Hamilton and Antonelli all put together final laps that were quicker again, and Leclerc then smacked the wall at Tabac on his final lap.This marks Antonelli’s fourth pole position of the season and likely will be another confidence boost for the 19-year-old, especially as his title rival — George Russell in the other Mercedes — only ended up sixth and lacked pace throughout qualifying.Results1 Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
