Norris Stuns Monaco with First Pole Position, Defeats Leclerc in Thrilling Qualifying Showdown
Lando Norris clinched his first pole position of the season during a thrilling qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday. Norris’s performance in the final moments of Q3 was nothing short of spectacular, as he pulled out two blistering laps on fresh soft tires, setting a time of 1m 09.954s to snatch the top spot from Charles Leclerc, who had briefly been on pole. McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri joined them on the front row, securing third, while Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, Lewis Hamilton, bounced back from a heavy crash in final practice to take fourth.
Max Verstappen, despite his usual dominance, struggled during the session and was only able to secure fifth, with Isack Hadjar emerging as one of the surprises of the day in sixth for Racing Bulls. Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, and Liam Lawson followed, rounding out the top 10, while Alex Albon of Williams completed the grid’s upper half.
Carlos Sainz was left frustrated in 11th after he struggled to find grip in the final phase of qualifying. His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, continued to face challenges adapting to Red Bull’s car, finishing 12th. Nico Hulkenberg took a solid 13th for Kick Sauber, ahead of George Russell, whose Mercedes suffered a power loss, leaving him 14th. Kimi Antonelli, the other Mercedes rookie, was eliminated after crashing during Q1, finishing in 15th.
The session saw further drama as Ollie Bearman and Lance Stroll also dropped out early, with Bearman facing a 10-place grid penalty for a red flag infringement. Stroll’s penalty for an FP1 clash with Leclerc will see him drop another position on the grid.
Norris expressed his joy after securing pole, saying, “It’s been a long time coming, so I feel good. After a few tough months, especially here in Monaco, this feels amazing. The team has worked so hard, and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”
