Antonelli takes Monaco pole as Verstappen misses out by 43 milliseconds

• Photo from F1

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli will start from pole position for the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Grand Prix of Monaco after topping qualifying with a 1:12.051 lap.

Antonelli edged Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen by just 0.043 seconds, or 43 milliseconds, in a tight qualifying battle on the streets of Monte Carlo.

“Yesterday, we struggled a little bit and today we were able to to improve massively,” Antonelli said after qualifying.

Verstappen, who will start second, said he still enjoyed the session despite narrowly missing pole.

“This was a good day and uh definitely enjoyed it in qualifying,” Verstappen said.

Lewis Hamilton placed third for Ferrari, 0.228 seconds behind Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc followed in fourth, 0.300 seconds off pole.

Hamilton said Ferrari had looked stronger in practice before the car felt different in qualifying.

“We were looking so strong in practice, and we barely changed anything, but the car was drastically different once we got to qualifying for some reason,” Hamilton said.

“But I gave it absolutely everything. I was as close to the barriers as I could be, and you know, what a privilege it is to to be here, to be one of the 22 drivers in Formula 1, getting to do this still,” he added.

Isack Hadjar completed the top five for Red Bull Racing, finishing 0.383 seconds behind Antonelli. George Russell secured sixth for Mercedes, ahead of McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in seventh and eighth.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly placed ninth, while Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson rounded out the top 10.

Antonelli’s pole comes at one of Formula 1’s most demanding circuits, where track position is crucial because of Monaco’s narrow layout and limited overtaking opportunities.

With Verstappen only 43 milliseconds behind and both Ferrari drivers starting inside the top four, the Monaco Grand Prix is expected to put strategy, tire management, and race control under the spotlight.