Lando Norris established a new track record to outperform local favorite Charles Leclerc by a tenth of a second at the conclusion of an exciting qualifying session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri finished in third place, maintaining his position as the championship leader.
At the beginning of Q1, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen posted the fastest time with an initial lap of 1:11.920, narrowly leading over practice pace-setter Leclerc by nearly two tenths. However, both McLaren drivers quickly surpassed this mark, with Norris posting a time four-tenths faster and Piastri recording a lap of 1:11.385 to secure the top position.
In the final runs, Leclerc secured first place with a lap time of 1:11.229, finishing approximately eight hundredths of a second ahead of Norris. Piastri finished third, followed by Verstappen and George Russell of Mercedes.
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At the other end of the order, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto was the first to be eliminated, qualifying in P16. He was followed by Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who will start from the back of the grid due to a 10-place penalty for disregarding red flags during FP2. Pierre Gasly qualified in P18, ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the second Alpine driver, Franco Colapinto; however, Colapinto will advance ahead of Stroll as a result of a one-position penalty imposed on the Canadian driver.
The warning signs became apparent at the conclusion of the session when Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who qualified in 15th position, made contact with the barriers in the Nouvelle Chicane.
Norris set the pace during the initial runs of Q2, recording a time of 1:10.959 to secure the first position. Verstappen followed closely in second place, just 0.065 seconds behind, while Leclerc, utilizing medium tires, finished in third place, approximately two-tenths of a second behind.
However, shortly thereafter, caution flags were waved once again. Russell slowed through the hairpin and Portier before coming to a complete stop in the tunnel. In the final laps, Norris assumed the lead with a time of 1:10.570.
Just 0.016 seconds ahead of Leclerc and two tenths ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon.
Improvements in the final runs for Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar resulted in Williams’ Carlos Sainz being positioned outside the top ten in P11, while Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda finished in P12, ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg and the Mercedes vehicles that were unable to set competitive times.
During the initial runs of Q3, Norris established the fastest time with a lap of 1:10.464, narrowly surpassing Piastri and Leclerc by less than seven hundredths of a second.
McLaren elected to pursue two final flying laps, with Norris demonstrating exceptional performance. The British driver initially set a provisional pole time of 1:10.125. Although Leclerc briefly surpassed this with a time of 1:10.063, Norris ultimately improved his lap to 1:09.954, establishing a new track record and securing pole position. Behind local hero Leclerc, Piastri finished third, ahead of Hamilton. Verstappen was unable to improve on his initial lap, and at the end of the session, he finished fifth. The remaining positions included Hadjar, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Ocon, Liam Lawson in the second Racing Bulls car, and Albon.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1’09.954 – –
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’10.063 0.109 0.156
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1’10.129 0.175 0.250
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1’10.382 0.428 0.612
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’10.669 0.715 1.022
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1’10.923 0.969 1.385
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’10.924 0.970 1.387
8 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1’10.942 0.988 1.412
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1’11.129 1.175 1.680
10 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1’11.213 1.259 1.800
11 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1’11.362 1.408 2.013
12 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’11.415 1.461 2.089
13 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1’11.596 1.642 2.347
14 George Russell Mercedes – – –
15 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes – – –
16 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1’11.902 1.948 2.785
17 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1’11.979 2.025 2.895
18 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1’11.994 2.040 2.916
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’12.563 2.609 3.730
20 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1’12.597 2.643 3.778
Photo/LandoNorris/X