Home favourite Charles Leclerc claims Monaco F1 GP pole for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc claimed pole for the Monaco Grand Prix with a consummate lap of the streets of his home race in Monte Carlo for Ferrari. In a tense and unpredictable qualifying session, Leclerc just has the edge over an excellent run by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in second and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in third. Max Verstappen struggled for the first time in qualifying this season and could manage only sixth for Red Bull.

Perhaps no other qualifying session of the entire season is of such import and the drivers know it. Putting the car on the edge and pushing it to the very limit while staying within inches of the barriers is an immense test and Leclerc had it nailed on Saturday, threading the needle in Monte Carlo at the 70th F1 race to be held here with extraordinary verve. The place is sealed and with it the genuine advantage that should be converted to victory on Sunday but nothing is a given.

It is a shot in the arm for the 26-year-old with his 24th career pole and Ferrari too will take heart from how well they performed, while this is the first time Verstappen has been denied the top spot this season. He has struggled with the car’s handling all weekend and this ends his run of eight consecutive poles, a record that equalled Ayrton Senna’s tally.Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.

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