The Mercedes driver set the fastest lap on the streets of the principality, beating Verstappen by just 43 thousandths. Hamilton was third and Leclerc fourth.
Kimi Antonelli has made history again in Formula 1, the Mercedes driver took pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix with a time of 1m12s051, beating Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by just 43 thousandths, who will start second. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) completed the front row with the third fastest time, followed by his teammate Charles Leclerc, fourth, who missed out on the fight for pole at his home race.
Qualifying in Monaco is the most important of the whole year because on the narrow street circuit overtaking is practically impossible, and historical data confirms that in this millennium the winner in Monte Carlo always came from among the top three on the grid. Antonelli has the advantage and has the chance to inscribe his name in a select group, as only two Italians have celebrated in Monaco, Riccardo Patrese in 1982 and Jarno Trulli in 2004. Twenty two years have passed without an Italian winner in the principality.
Kimi arrives at this race with sky high morale after winning four of the first five races of the season, a streak that has allowed him to open a 43 point gap over his teammate George Russell, who on Saturday could not get past sixth position, beaten by Isack Hadjar (fifth) and the two Ferraris. The Mercedes driver will have to come back from a very complicated position if he wants to close the gap in the championship.
The second row of the grid is for the two Ferraris, Hamilton and Leclerc, who proved that the SF-26 is competitive in slow corners as expected. Leclerc dreamed of pole at home but finished more than three tenths behind his compatriot Antonelli, a driver he knows well from the junior categories. Verstappen, for his part, proved that the RB22 has improved in recent races and that he can fight for victory even on a circuit that is not favorable for the car's characteristics.
In the midfield, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) was ninth and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) tenth. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) will start fourteenth after being eliminated in Q2, along with Carlos Sainz (Williams) twelfth, Alexander Albon (Williams) eleventh and Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) thirteenth.
The back of the grid was completed by the two Haas, the two Cadillacs and the two Aston Martins, with Fernando Alonso twenty first and Lance Stroll twenty second.
