Charles Leclerc dominated in qualifying on the Monte Carlo street circuit. (Photo: Andrej Isakovic / AFP).
Very comfortable at home, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was left with the best qualifying time this Saturday and will start the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix from first place on Sunday, a test he has not been able to finish in his previous three participation.
Monegasque, who dominated free practice on Friday, outperformed all three qualifiers on Saturday, setting up his best lap on Monte Carlo’s beautiful street layout at 1m11.376s to take first place from in the beginning. , something very important in a circuit where it is very difficult to overtake.
“It’s very special that I’m on the pole here, I’m so happy. I knew the car was running, I just had to do my job. The last lap was very good and the car felt fantastic ”, highlighted the local idol after achieving the 14th pole position in his career and the fifth this season.
Charles Leclerc, smiling in the pits after achieving pole position in Monaco. (Photo: Daniel Cole / AP)
While no one seems to have had a chance to take the top spot from Leclerc, those trying to do so by the end of Q3 saw their chances killed when the red flags waved 30 seconds from the end because in an incident before the entrance to the tunnel: Mexican Sergio Pérez lost control of his Red Bull, crashed into a retaining fence and Spaniard Carlos Sainz, coming from behind, also went into his car.
Both became cheerleaders for the shootout and were trying to improve their times. In any case, Sainz was left with the second best time of the day, 225 thousandths behind his teammate, and so Ferrari would have two of its cars in the front row.
“Pérez fell in front of me, I was on my fastest lap, I saw the yellow flag, I braked and I had to avoid it as best I could. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to the pole for another year, “But it’s Monaco. You never know what can happen, but today I felt good with the car”, Sainz said.
Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull and Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari collided before the entrance to the tunnel in Monte Carlo. (Photo: Get TV)
The accident also aborted Dutchman Max Verstappen’s last attempt. The championship leader (he leads Leclerc by six points after his victory over Barcelona on Sunday) is far ahead all day and on Sunday he will have to start in fourth.
Behind Verstappen are British Lando Norris (McLaren) and George Russell (Mercedes), Spanish Fernando Alonso (Alpine), English multi-champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), German Sebastián Vettel (Aston). Martin) and the Frenchman Esteban Ocon. (Alpine).
Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), who had a bad season and had an accident on Friday in the second practice session, also did not do well Saturday and finished 14th, behind Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), the Finn Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romero) and the Danish Kevin Magnussen (Haas), and in front of the German Mick Schumacher (Haas).
Daniel Ricciardo did not miss 14th place in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. (Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
The final spots on the grid were identified in an atypical Q1 closure, as a red flag as a result of a broken left wheel in front of Japanese AlphaTauri Yuki Tsunoda was forced to neutralize the action with two ‘t half a minute. go. closing.
When the session restarted, on the extremely crowded track, some drivers did not turn a quick lap and others took advantage of it, lowered their time and sentenced Thai Alexander Albon (Williams) to elimination and to under the grid, Frenchman Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), his compatriot Nicholas Latifi (Williams) and Chinese Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo).
The Monaco Grand Prix, which will cover 78 laps on the shortest track of all that will be part of this year’s Formula 1 program, will begin on Week 10 and will be seen via Fox Sports and Star +.
Source: Clarin