On a day when Charles Leclerc became the toast of Monaco once again, it was the Red Bull drivers struggling to impress. Charles Leclerc was untouchable in Q3 at Monaco, popping in an unbelievable last flying lap to take pole position for his home race – capitalising on a day where Red Bull failed to fire on all cylinders. Winners Charles Leclerc The Monegasque driver made full use of his local knowledge to put in the fastest lap when it mattered, and then digging deep to go quicker again on his final run in Q3.
It was a metronomic display from Leclerc, who built up through the day in Verstappen-esque fashion, and took his third Monaco pole position in four years. While 2021 didn’t go his way due to mechanical failure, and 2022 fell apart due to strategy errors, the pieces are all lined up for Leclerc to finally dispel any notion his Monaco ‘curse’ still exists. Having come under pressure from Carlos Sainz’s exemplary performances over the first handful of races in 2024, Leclerc is now starting to produce in the same way we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few years – making all the difference to claim pole position just ahead of Oscar Piastri.
McLaren Having won in Miami and challenging strongly at Imola, the question mark over how versatile the MCL38 is over a variety of circuits was answered on Saturday at Monaco. Curiously, it was Oscar Piastri who looked slightly more comfortable throughout the session as he claimed the front-row position alongside Lecle.