The battle for pole position around the streets of Monte Carlo was a nail-biting affair as McLaren’s Lando Norris narrowly beat Charles Leclerc to the top of the timesheets to deny the Monegasque driver.
It was Leclerc who claimed provisional pole with a blisteringly quick lap during the first runs in Q3, but Norris’ final effort saw him clock a time of 1m 9.954s, 0.103s clear of the Ferrari as he broke the circuit record.
FACTS AND STATS: Norris smashes Monaco lap record to claim McLaren’s first pole there since 2007
The margins were incredibly small around Monaco as Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton and reigning world champion Max Verstappen all appeared to be well matched and in the fight alongside the frontrunners, but it ultimately came down to whether the home hero could put together the perfect lap.
Although Leclerc admitted his attempt was “the best we could do”, McLaren’s risky choice to go for a later run paid off for Norris, who secured his first pole position since the season opener in Australia.
Hit go on the video player above to ride onboard as our ‘Ghost Car’ feature compares Norris and Leclerc’s final Q3 laps.
