Charles Leclerc takes Monaco GP pole for Ferrari after crash as Lewis Hamilton only seventh

​Charles Leclerc took pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing out with just 16 seconds remaining.

The Ferrari driver was leading the time charts when he hit the barriers on the exit of the swimming pool chicane and the session was stopped and did not restart.

Leclerc sustained damage to the front and side of his Ferrari and it remains to be seen if he will start Sunday’s race from the front. Leclerc could face a grid penalty if certain parts of his car need to be changed.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished second with Valtteri Bottas third for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton was only seventh on a disappointing day for the championship leader.

Leclerc’s quick lap arrived as a timely boost to Ferrari with chairman John Elkann in Monte Carlo to watch the drama unfold.

The Italian team endured their worst campaign in 40 years last season but in the formative rounds of this year have shown encouraging signs of improvement.

However, Leclerc’s eighth pole, Ferrari’s first since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix, still arrived as a shock with Verstappen expected to deliver for Red Bull.

Verstappen was on a lap to challenge Leclerc’s time but the red flags following the Monegasque’s accident ended his charge.

“It is a shame to finish in the wall,” said Leclerc. “It doesn’t feel the same but I am incredibly happy with my first lap.

“I have mixed feelings because I don’t know where I am starting. It depends on the damage of the car. I hope it is not damaged enough so we have to start at the back.

“I was on the last lap and trying to do more in the final sector and I hit the barrier on the inside and I went straight into the wall.

Carlos Sainz finished fourth in the other Ferrari ahead of Lando Norris in his McLaren. Hamilton heads Verstappen by 14 points in the standings but was anonymous throughout Saturday’s qualifying and faces a tall order in the race with overtaking notoriously difficult.

Story continues

Mick Schumacher did not take part in qualifying after he crashed out of final practice.

The rookie, and son of seven-time world champion Michael, lost control of his Haas on the exit of Casino Square and slammed into the barriers in the closing minutes.

Schumacher, 22, sustained severe damage to the left-hand side of his car, and Haas were unable to repair his machine in time.

The young German, who will start Sunday’s race at the back of the grid, appeared in tears as he was consoled by his team.

George Russell finished 15th for Williams, two places above the double world champion Fernando Alonso.

Monaco Grand Prix, qualifying results

1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

4. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

5. Lando Norris, McLaren

6. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri

7. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

8. Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin

9. Sergio Pérez, Red Bull

10. Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo

11. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

12. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren

13. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

14. Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo

15. George Russell, Williams

16. Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

17. Fernando Alonso, Alpine

18. Nicholas Latifi, Williams

19. Nikita Mazepin, Haas

20. Mick Schumacher, Haas

02:41 PM

Well, that was a fun, if anti-climatic qualifying session

Quite possible that Verstappen – if not Bottas – had a good chance of taking pole from him. But, whatever, it’s a Ferrari on pole. Whether or not the car needs significant repairs and this picks up a grid penalty is another matter. But in the context of the championship, Max Verstappen, 14 points behind Hamilton, is starting five places ahead of him on a track where it is almost impossible to overtake.

A good start to the weekend for him but anything can happen tomorrow…, but if it works out well, he could be leading the championship in 24 hours’ time.

We’ll be back about 12.30 for all the build-up to the Monaco Grand Prix.

02:27 PM

Lewis Hamilton on a bad day at the office

02:24 PM

Much credit to Vettel today

Eighth position, a fair chunk ahead of team-mate Stroll. We are starting to see glimpses again, at least in qualifying. He made it into Q3 in Portugal before slipping back in the race.

02:22 PM

Sky Sports F1’s excellent Karun Chandhok on how far Verstappen was ahead on his second run

02:20 PM

“That’s not a bad afternoon,” says Red Bull team principal Christian Horner

Verstappen in second and Hamilton seventh, fair enough. Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo all with a car in the top 10. Only Alpine, Haas and Williams without. And Ocon is in 11th so eight cars in the top 11.

02:18 PM

Leclerc speaks after his pole

02:16 PM

I think this was the moment Leclerc hit the barriers

Paul Di Resta says he think it will be a gearbox change. But nothing confirmed yet.

02:14 PM

For reference

Just before the red flag came out, Verstappen had gone quickest of anyone in sector one and Bottas was only 0.051s behind him after one sector, too. A lot could have happened between the tunnel and the finish line, though, as Leclerc proved.

02:10 PM

Leclerc says he’s worried about his gearbox

Would he have got pole without that error? It would have been close for Bottas or Verstappen to beat him, I think.

02:09 PM

Verstappen frustrated again

Understandably. Still, second and starting five places above Hamilton is something to be pleased about. And he could be starting first if Leclerc has to change his gearbox before the race.

02:08 PM

This was not a Michael Schumacher “just park it” situation from Leclerc

It was a fairly significant shunt.

02:06 PM

Well, Leclerc is getting a fine reception from the Monaco locals

He is Monegasque, of course. Whatever, it’s not good news for Hamilton. Even if Leclerc has to take a five-place grid drop he will start ahead of Hamilton…

Verstappen thwarted again. Bottas looked quite good to be honest. He was definitely in the conversation there.

02:05 PM

Q3 – Classification

1. LEC 1:10.346

2. VER +0.230

3. BOT +0.255

4. SAI +0.265

5. NOR +0.274

6. GAS +0.554

7. HAM +0.749

8. VER +1.073

9. PER +1.227

10. GIO +1.443

02:03 PM

CHARLES LECLERC TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE 2021 MONACO GRAND PRIX

Not sure how elated he will be feeling. He clipped the barriers on the way into the turns 15 and 16 chicane and then went into the barriers on the exit…

Will his car need a new gearbox?

02:02 PM

Q3 – Hamilton on a hot lap

Has he hit the barrier? Just clipped it possibly. He does not look comfortable in this car…

He’s 0.345s down after two sectors. Could improve but he will not be getting pole. He backs off… has time for one more lap

NO HE DOESN’T! LECLERC HAS SHOVED IT INTO THE BARRIERS – RED FLAG

Verstappen has to abort his lap… so does everyone else. How strange…

Leclerc takes pole by virtue of his crash. A bit of a rubbish end.

Verstappen and Bottas were on flyers there…

02:00 PM

Q3 – Final runs under way

Verstappen’s next lap isn’t a quick one either, preparing his car for one final flying lap it seems.

Perez has made a mess of this lap and comes into an almighty traffic jam at the end. He stays ninth.

01:59 PM

Q3 – Verstappen starts a flying lap

He should get two here. He needs to find three tenths or so to get pole.

How does he look in the first sector? Doesn’t look stellar on screen and it’s an 18.545s. Not great…

He is not improving here but may have a few extra laps of fuel…

He goes again…

01:57 PM

Q3 – Four minutes remain

A few of the big guns out quite early: Leclerc, Verstappen, Sainz and Hamilton. No Perez or Bottas.

01:56 PM

Q3 – Order and gaps after first runs

1. LEC 1:10.346

2. VER +0.230

3. BOT +0.255

4. SAI +0.265

5. NOR +0.461

6. GAS +0.554

7. HAM +0.749

8. VET + 1.073

9. PER +1.341

10. GIO +1.433

01:55 PM

Q3 – Vettel seventh

That’s ahead of Perez. Verstappen has gone second but still 0.230s behind Leclerc.

Bottas improves to go third ahead of Sainz…

Gasly ahead of Hamilton.

Norris on his first proper run, he goes fifth…

01:54 PM

Q3 – Leclerc 0.226s up after two sectors

where is Sainz! Just up by 0.07s. Hamilton is 0.131s down…

Leclerc goes quickest by 0.230. Can he stay there for long?

Yes! Sainz has a poor final sector and goes only third. Hamilton fifth… 0.749s off the pace. Pérez slots in behind him.

Hamilton lacking confidence with this car. He’s been blown away by Bottas.

01:53 PM

Q3 – That is close

Giovinazzi third, Gasly fourth at the moment.

Leclerc and Sainz starting their first hot laps now. Likewise Hamilton.

Leclerc a tenth of a second down in the first sector but Sainz is quickest of all after one sector…

Hamilton two tenths away after one sector… ouch.

01:52 PM

Q3 – Superb first sector from Verstappen

18.472s. Where will he finish off? Bottas isn’t too far away, though you know…

Verstappen sets a 1:10.576… Bottas just 0.060s behind!

01:51 PM

Q3 – 11 minutes to go

Who is your money on? Heart Leclerc, head Verstappen.

01:50 PM

Q3 begins

10 drivers, one man who can get pole.

01:49 PM

Vettel through to Q3 again

Good work from him. Ahead of Stroll once more.

Right, Q3 is about to get going. This is going to be fun.

01:48 PM

Who is in the fight for pole?

Hard pushed to put Hamilton in it. Both Ferraris, Bottas and Verstappen seem to be the main contenders. Norris, Pérez and Hamilton look to be a but further adrift.

01:45 PM

Q2 – Classification – Leclerc quickest

1. LEC 1:10.597

2. VER +0.053

3. BOT +0.098

4. SAI + 0.209

5. PER +0.422

6. NOR +0.434

7. HAM +0.519

8. GAS +0.582

9. VET +0.712

10. GIO +0.812
    OUT:

11. OCO +0.889

12. RIC +1.001

13. STR +1.003

14. RAI +1.045

15. RUS +1.233

Ocon only just out. Think 11th isn’t too bad with a car that has looked dead slow all weekend. Giovinazzi delivering there with a fine lap. One Mercedes is up there, but it’s not Hamilton. Where is he going to find half a second from?

01:42 PM

Q2 ends

Drivers out:

Ocon, Ricciardo, Stroll, Raikkonen, Russell.

That’s a big blow for Ricciardo. The track where he has scored more points than anywhere else.

01:42 PM

Q2 – Ocon misses out

He has bumped Ricciardo down… he’s out, with Norris in fifth.

Bottas improves to go third, 0.098s off Leclerc’s time. Perez fifth, Stroll can’t make it through.

01:41 PM

Q2 – Leclerc does go quickest

But just by 0.053s ahead of Verstappen.

Raikkonen, Giovinazzi and Ocon hoping to get out, but none of them can… apart from Giovinazzi – who goes 10th! For now…

01:41 PM

Q2 – Hamilton improving

But will not be anywhere near quickest. 0.466s down and stays sixth. Not even that close to Bottas, really.

Pérez has caught up with Verstappen at some point, not sure if the Dutchman abandoned his lap.

Leclerc going well, could go quickest here.

01:40 PM

Q2 – Drivers in the danger zone at the moment

Stroll, Ocon, Giovinazzi, Russell and Raikkonen.

01:39 PM

Q2 – Stroll improves to go 11th

Bottas goes fourth, 0.290s off Verstappen’s time. Perez starts his hot lap, Verstappen 10 seconds or so ahead of him and a few corners.

01:39 PM

Q2 – Gasly trying to improve from ninth

Looking like he will but could be touch and go whether he gets through. Russell improves to go 13th, which won’t see him through. Gasly improves his time but doesn’t improve his place.

01:37 PM

Q2 – Four minutes remain

Reckon most drivers will be doing four laps on their final runs. Ricciardo just discussing that with his team. Whether to go push-push or push-cool-push.

01:36 PM

Q2 – Perez still struggling to get close to Verstappen

He’s half a second down here again. Verstappen does look to have it hooked up. Sainz hugely impressive so far, too.

01:35 PM

Q2 – Leader and gaps after the first runs

1. VER

2. SAI +0.156

3. LEC +0.272

4. NOR +0.381

5. BOT +0.399

6. HAM +0.528

7. PER +0.543

8. VET +0.659

9. GAS +0.809

10. RIC +0.979
    DROP ZONE:

11. GIO +1.199

12. STR +1.226

13. OCO +1.361

14. RAI +1.368

15. RUS +1.526

01:33 PM

Q2 – Mercedes still a bit adrift here

Bottas can only improve enough to go fifth, behind Norris.

01:33 PM

Q2 – Norris on a flyer

Norris goes second with a very good time. Verstappen trumps it all with a 1:10.560. Quickest.

01:31 PM

Q2 – Leclerc starts his first hot lap

He has a chance of pole here today, no doubt about that. Stroll currently the quickest man but 1.5s slower than Bottas’s Q1 time.

Leclerc half a second up nearly after two sectors. Where does he finish? Sainz also on a good lap now.

Leclerc with a 1.11.037s, just 0.003s quicker than Verstappen. Sainz slams them both down a spot, going 0.231s quicker than his team-mate. Ferrari 1-2.

Bottas fifth, Hamilton fourth, but very close.

01:29 PM

Q2 – Alpine’s problems in Q1 down to tyre warm-up

Clearly Ocon managed it better than Alonso. Traffic gets a little better in this session, but could still be a problem. We will see.

01:26 PM

Q2 begins! 15 minutes to go

15 drivers in, five will go out – and 10 through.

01:24 PM

Another good performance for Russell

Tsunoda only narrowly out. Hamilton did 13 laps in that session, all in one stint on the same tyres.

01:23 PM

Q1 – Classification and gaps

1. BOT 1:10.398

2. LEC +0.175

3. VER +0.186

4. NOR +0.383

5. SAI +0.386

6. GAS +0.622

7. HAM +0.684

8. PER +0.706

9. GIO +0.720

10. OCO +0.802

11. RIC +0.809

12. RAI +0.961

13. STR +1.041

14. RUS +1.078

15. VET +1.140
    OUT:

16. TSU +1.158

17. ALO +1.267

18. LAT +1.428

19. MAZ +2.020

20. MSC

01:20 PM

Q1 ends – Drivers out below

Tsunoda, Alonso, Latifi, Mazepin and Mick Schumacher who did not set a time.

01:20 PM

Q1 – Tsunoda moves to 16th… he’s out

What does Alonso do? He improves but stays 17th… Ouch.

Latifi doesn’t improve and stays 18th.

01:19 PM

Q1 – Final runs under way

Raikkonen improves to ninth, Russell going again, doesn’t improve but stays 12th. Will that be enough? Giovinazzi goes ninth, Ocon goes 10th and puts Vettel to 15th. Can’t see any way back for Alonso here…

Tsunoda giving it a good go…

01:19 PM

Q1 – Oh dear Fernando

Does his best lap but stays 17th. He needs to find a couple of tenths to get through. Looks unlikely. If Hamilton has done 12 laps here he must have had a couple more laps of fuel than most others around him. Worth considering.

01:18 PM

Q1 – Russell into the top 10

Looks a decent bet to get into Q2 if not Q3 today. Ocon has improved to 12th, Alonso still down in 17th.

Hamilton still on those same soft tyres. He should be safe with that time.

Ricciardo improves to ninth…

Only Leclerc, Hamilton and Ricciardo of the top 10 still on track.

01:16 PM

Q1 – Hamilton has done nine laps on this set of softs

More than anyone. Wonder if they will bother coming in again for a change? Might look a little odd.

01:15 PM

Q1 – Alonso struggling

In fact, both Alpines struggling. Ocon in 17th, Alonso in 16th. Looking to perhaps be the second slowest car this weekend.

01:14 PM

Q1 – Order with five mins to go

1. BOT

2. LEC

3. VER

4. NOR

5. SAI

6. GAS

7. HAM

8. PER

9. STR

10. VET

11. GIO

12. RUS

13. RIC

14. RAI

15. TSU
    DROP ZONE:

16. ALO

17. OCO

18. LAT

19. MAZ

20. MSC

01:13 PM

Q1 – Perez struggling

He’s six-tenths down on his latest run and may as well duck into the pits, but he doesn’t. Unless he’s going again – no, these tyres are seven laps old.

01:13 PM

Q1 – Leclerc goes second

But he can’t beat Bottas’s time, which looks fairly decent at this stage actually. Hamilton 0.684s behind him at this stage.

01:12 PM

Q1 – 8 minutes to go

Bottas on a flyer with one sector to go. He goes quickest by 0.186s…

Mercedes on the pace for the first time this weekend, it seems.

01:11 PM

Q1 – 10 minutes to go

This really is a frantic session. Leclerc on his first flying lap, good enough for third, 0.209s off, so Verstappen splitting the Red Bulls. Mercedes a little further adrift. Hamilton looking the worse of the two Mercedes drivers at the moment as he lines up another lap.

He should improve here but by how much? Only enough for fourth, three tenths down. And his competitors are improving too.

Norris goes quickest for a brief moment, before he is shunted down to second by Verstappen.

01:09 PM

Q1 – Order so far

1. SAI

2. VER

3. BOT

4. STR

5. NOR

6. HAM

7. GIO

8. PER

9. RIC

10. RAI

11. GAS

12. ALO

13. OCO

14. TSU

15. RUS
    DROP ZONE:

16. LAT

17. MAZ

18. LEC

19. VET – no time

20. MSC – no time

01:08 PM

Q1 – Verstappen quickest

0.272s ahead of Bottas. He’s knocked down to second by Carlos Sainz, who goes two tenths ahead.

01:08 PM

Q1 – Giovinazzi goes quickest

Can Bottas displace him? He’s on a good lap. Yep, He’s 0.338s quicker. Verstappen going again and looks to be flying, likewise Sainz in the Ferrari…

Hamilton goes third on his second hot lap…

01:07 PM

Q1 – What is Hamilton’s first time?

Doesn;’t look all that quick just by looking at it and it’s not. He’s five seconds off the pace, but it was clearly a lap he did not commit to.

Bottas looking a bit tidier. Gasly goes second, before being usurped by Raikkonen.

01:06 PM

Q1 – Norris goes quickest

Only eight drivers to set a time… make that nine with Max Verstappen, 0.3s slower than Norris. Could well be four-lap runs then. Or five, depending on level of battery charge.

Hamilton on his first lap but has Perez ahead of him, well, for a bit. The Dutchman moves out of the way in the tunnel.

01:05 PM

Q1 – “Tyres are not ready” Russell says

Two warm-up laps? Tsunoda the man to set the first time but it’s not very good, to be honest. Still, 1.5s quicker than Mazepin and a couple quicker than Russell.

Raikkonen and then Giovinazzi soon replace the Japanese driver, though.

Norris on a fine lap so far.

01:02 PM

Q1 – 17 minutes remain

A whole load of cars out early up, good to see. Could be some traffic carnage in this session. There usually is.

01:00 PM

Q1 begins!

20 drivers, the five slowest will be eliminated. Mick Schumacher is already one of them, his Haas too badly damaged to run in this session.

12:58 PM

A slim (30 per cent) chance of rain for this session

Might see a few drops but doubt it will be anything significant, if at all. A few men having poor weekends so far, none more so than Daniel Ricciardo, who normally loves it here.

12:53 PM

Some late work going on Valtteri Bottas’s car

They have been doing work on it for a little while. Is it an issue, or more of a set-up thing? Something clearly not working for Mercedes. One way or another.

Wonder how many red flags we’ll see this session. At least one?

12:46 PM

Qualifying thoughts

If the grid ends up as what we had in final practice then it’s a bit of a nightmare for Mercedes. What could Hamilton do from 7th on the grid with Verstappen on pole? Very hard to overtake here on track, though strategy and timing when pitting under a safety car gives an opportunity. If they finished there or say even if Verstappen won and Hamilton finished fifth (assuming neither got the fastest lap), it would give Verstappen the championship lead.

Mercedes have some pace to find here.

12:39 PM

McLaren are running a special one-off Gulf (retro…) livery this weekend

Looks pretty good, I think? Or does the presence of sponsor decals ruin it? Hmmm.

12:35 PM

On-track battles and off-track barbs are breathing new life into F1

Read Tom Cary’s full column here.

12:27 PM

F1’s latest tech controversy – bendy wings…

The 2021 Formula One season has been, so far, an enthralling battle between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. But whilst the story has primarily been about the two men out on track, the fight is no less fierce off it.

Neither team is averse to the odd barbed word and F1’s latest controversy has been over Red Bull’s supposedly ‘bendy’ rear wing, with Hamilton making particular reference to the supposed advantage it gives them on the straights. Tom Cary digs deep into it all.

12:20 PM

No Mick Schumacher in qualifying, then

But Williams are hoping to get Nicholas Latifi out, who also had a (slightly smaller) shunt in final practice. Mick finished in the top-15 in final practice, so could have been on for his best qualifying of the year. Starting from 20th is not a million miles away from where he has been this year but with overtaking so limited in Monaco it’s made a bit of a mess of the maximum he could achieve this weekend.

12:16 PM

Current constructor standings

12:11 PM

Current driver standings – Top 12

12:02 PM

Schumacher faces struggle to have car for qualifying

Towards the end of final practice young Mick Schumacher put his car in the barriers just coming out of Casino Square. It made a right mess of the left side and, frankly, it would be a miracle of Haas can get it going in time for Q1.

11:42 AM

FP3 – Classification

1. VER 1:11.294

2. SAI +0.047

3. LEC +0.258

4. BOT +0.471

5. PER +0.523

6. NOR +0.694

7. HAM +0.726

8. RAI +1.004

9. GAS +1.063

10. VET +1.243

11. GIO +1.245

12. STR +1.406

13. RIC +1.665

14. SCH +1.845

15. ALO +2.035

16. MAZ +2.096

17. RUS +2.153

18. LAT +2.181

19. TSU +2.228

20. OCO+2.320

11:21 AM

Good afternoon F1 fans

And welcome to our coverage for qualifying for the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, from the streets of Monte Carlo. Formula One finally returns to the principality after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of last year’s event, meaning no Monaco Grand Prix for the first time since 1954.

Thursday’s practice session through up a little surprise, with Ferrari leading the way at the end of second practice. Now, on that showing alone it would be a surprise to see them be there at the end of qualifying in a couple of hours, but it signals a) that they could be a real threat and b) perhaps that their drivers and their set-ups were working well from the off.

Spending time threading your car through the barriers is perhaps the most important thing to finding lap time in Monaco and the total amount of practice running has been reduced by an hour, so that could well be a factor that leads to a more mixed up grid than we might usually see.

In final practice, Ferrari were on it again, though, neck-and-neck with Red Bull. Max Verstappen was quickest overall, but Carlos Sainz was right behind him for the Scuderia. Charles Leclerc was not a mile behind but struggled to get a clean lap in. But still, Ferrari are definitely in contention – and both cars by the looks of it.

What about Mercedes then? They struggled here in 2017 and 2018 but won in 2019. Valtteri Bottas was their lead car in final practice, in fourth place just ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was down in seventh, behind Lando Norris’s McLaren. Mercedes certainly look like they need to find something in the next couple of hours. They’ve done it before and will do it again, but this is a big ask. Even on the eye test, the W12 looked to be struggling with grip.

Of course, as great a venue as Monaco is, it probably is not the greatest for racing at. Yes, you have the jeopardy of cars going into the barriers at any possible moment but with these super-wide high downforce, late-braking beasts overtaking is almost an impossibility. That said, it is probably the best qualifying session of the year. And that’s what we’re here for today.

As ever, we’ll be here for all the build-up, live updates and reaction from qualifying for the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix.

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