Antonelli Secures Pole for Mercedes at Monaco Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen by 0.043 seconds.
- 0.043 seconds
- 2019
What Happened
In an exciting qualifying session, Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull's Max Verstappen by just 0.043 seconds. Team-mate George Russell qualified sixth. The result was a surprise after Ferrari's strong pace on Friday, but overnight setup changes improved car performance.
“The pole position in Monaco is an incredible result. The team did a great job to get the car into this good starting position, especially given the improvements we made overnight after a difficult Friday. It was an extremely tight fight with so many other cars and drivers, all seeming capable of taking pole. I'm absolutely thrilled to have taken pole and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow.”
“That was an exciting qualifying in which Kimi secured pole with a fantastic lap. There were many competitors, including the Ferraris and Red Bulls, but Kimi stepped up at the decisive moment and delivered with full commitment. It's been seven years since we last stood on pole here, and historically we've never been particularly strong in Monaco. That makes today's result even more special.”
0.043seconds
Antonelli's advantage over Max Verstappen in Q3
Why this matters
This marks Mercedes' first pole in Monaco since 2019 and shows the team's recovery from a difficult Friday practice through overnight setup changes.
Terms in This Story
- pole position
- The first starting grid spot, awarded to the fastest qualifier.
- qualifying
- A timed session that determines the starting order for the race.
- FP3
- The third and final practice session before qualifying.
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