Monaco GP: Antonelli stuns Ferrari duo to snatch pole, Verstappen joins front row

Published 7 June 2026 · sports

Monaco Grand Prix preview (AI generated Image) Monte Carlo, Monaco - There are race weekends in Formula 1, and then there is Monaco. Monaco GP

Monaco Grand Prix preview (AI generated Image) Monte Carlo, Monaco - There are race weekends in Formula 1, and then there is Monaco. Monaco GP - Free practice 1 results (Top 5) Pos. Driver Team Time / Gap 1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:13.978 2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.226s 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.513s 4 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.559s 5 George Russell Mercedes +1.005s Monaco GP - Free practice 2 results (Top 5) Pos. Driver Team Time / Gap 1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:13.026 2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.111s 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.168s 4 George Russell Mercedes +0.379s 5 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.503s Saturday Morning: Antonelli Strikes Back Monaco GP - Free practice 3 results (Top 5) Pos. Driver Team Time / Gap 1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:12.720 2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.327s 3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.331s 4 George Russell Mercedes +0.763s 5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.942s Qualifying: The Real Monaco Grand Prix Monaco GP - Qualifying Results & Starting Grid Pos. Driver Team Q3 Time / Gap 1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:12.051 2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.043s 3 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.228s 4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.300s 5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing +0.383s 6 George Russell Mercedes +0.394s 7 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.573s 8 Lando Norris McLaren +0.714s 9 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.175s 10 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.361s 11 Alex Albon Williams Q2 Elimination 12 Carlos Sainz Jr. Williams Q2 Elimination 13 Nico Hülkenberg Audi Q2 Elimination 14 Franco Colapinto Alpine Q2 Elimination 15 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls Q2 Elimination 16 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi Q1 Elimination 17 Esteban Ocon Haas Q1 Elimination 18 Sergio Pérez Cadillac Q1 Elimination 19 Oliver Bearman Haas Q1 Elimination 20 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac Q1 Elimination 21 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Q1 Elimination 22 Lance Stroll Aston Martin Q1 Elimination Max Was Constant Ferrari's Missed Opportunity The Race Ahead It was Charles Leclerc, and maybe even the Prince of Monaco, who was deemed to take pole position, but 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli had a different plan.

In the first three practice rounds, it was all about Ferrari until the qualifying session came, and Mercedes took pole position for the first time this decade.The narrow streets of the Principality have humbled world champions, shattered dreams within inches of steel barriers, and produced some of the sport's most iconic moments. In 2026, Monaco arrives with a fresh storyline at its center: the rise of Kimi Antonelli.After four consecutive victories and a commanding lead in the Drivers' Championship, the 19-year-old Mercedes prodigy arrived in Monte Carlo carrying the momentum of a future world champion. Yet Monaco represents a challenge unlike any other on the Formula 1 calendar. Raw pace matters, but courage matters more. A driver must dance millimeters from walls while carrying speeds that leave no room for error.As the weekend unfolded from Friday practice through Saturday qualifying, Monaco once again proved why it remains Formula 1's greatest examination of driver skill.The first practice session around Monaco is rarely about outright speed.It is a gradual process of learning where the grip exists and how close a driver can get to the barriers without becoming their latest victim. The first practice round in Monaco was all about Ferrari, as Charles Leclerc, the Prince of Monaco and the home boy, secured the fastest lap, followed by Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, while Max Verstappen finished third.The second practice session provided a clearer picture of the competitive order. Again, Ferrari dominated the second practice session. Lewis Hamilton topped the second practice session, followed by Charles Leclerc, and again the silent conqueror, Max Verstappen, finished in third position.If Friday belonged to Ferrari, Saturday morning belonged to Antonelli.