Charles Leclerc claimed a sensational pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix as the qualifying session came to an abrupt end following a crash involving Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz.
Leclerc sealed his spot at the front of the grid with a sensational lap-time and it gives him a timely boost in his quest for a first ever World Driver's Championship. However, Q3 was brought to an end with 30 seconds remaining after Perez slid across the track and whacked the barrier, with Ferrari's Sainz following up to clip the stricken Red Bull.
Despite the collision, Sainz will start second on the grid meaning it's a Ferrari lockout at the front of the grid for tomorrow's race. Perez's earlier lap time was good enough for third on the grid while current championship leader Max Verstappen could only qualify in fourth place in his Red Bull.
Leclerc will be hoping for more luck at his home race after qualifying on pole last year before failing to make it to the start line thanks to a gearbox problem.
Lewis Hamilton had another qualifying session that was fraught with problems as Mercedes' struggles continued. After concern throughout Q2 about the state of his rear tyres the seven-time World Champion could only qualify eighth.
His team-mate George Russell will start tomorrow’s race in sixth, outperforming his team-mate in qualifying again this season. It’s a disappointing day for the Silver Arrows, who’s performance at the last Grand Prix in Barcelona had raised optimism.
The day belonged to Leclerc who was a cut above the rest of the field throughout qualifying, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner describing his performance as "mighty" in an interview with Sky Sports F1. “I’m so incredibly happy," Leclerc said in his post-qualifying interview.
"It's been a very smooth weekend until now. The pace was in the car, I just had to do the job. It went perfectly, that last lap, before the red flag, was really, really good - but it didn't change anything for us.
"It was really on the limit. I had quite a bit if oversteer and I struggled to put the tyres in the right window and in the last sector, there was a bit of traffic. But at the end, the rear was a bit loose but the lap time came and I was improving quite a bit - I think I was four tenths faster.
"The car felt amazing and it's great to have Carlos with me on the front row. I think dry [weather] is a bit more predictable. But whatever comes we are competitive, so we are fine."
Elsewhere, it was another disappointing day for McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo, who had to face criticism this week from McLaren boss Zak Brown for not meeting expectations at the team. He could only qualify 14th to be knocked out of Q2. His team-mate Lando Norris continued to impress with a fifth place finish that will see him in good stead for the race.
Lance Stroll was one of the main casualties in Q1, a session that had to be temporarily halted after AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda collided with the barrier, damaging his wheel in the process and picking up a puncture. The Aston Martin man could only qualify 18th and was audibly frustrated with the result over the team radio.
That collision also impacted Tsunoda’s team-mate Pierre Gasly, who was midway through a lap that he was unable to finish due to the red flag. The Frenchman was ultimately knocked out of Q1 in 17th.
Final qualifying classification
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Sergio Perez (Ferrari)
Max Verstappen (Ferrari)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
George Russell (Mercedes)
Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
Mick Schumacher (Haas)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
