The F1 Monaco GP qualifying saw Kimi Antonelli pick up his first pole position around the iconic track. He sealed the position after putting together a lap that was a few hundredths faster than what Max Verstappen was able to do.
In P3, we have Lewis Hamilton, with Charles Leclerc in P4. Isack Hadjar will be in P5, while George Russell will be in P6.
One of the key features of the F1 Monaco GP race weekend continues to be the fact that qualifying is key. Unless a driver nails Saturday, the race is almost irredeemable.
Hence, as drivers and teams go to sleep, who would be satisfied with how the race weekend has gone, and who would be disappointed? Let’s take a look.
2026 F1 Monaco GP Qualifying
Winner
Kimi Antonelli
Every challenge and every question that has been put in front of Kimi Antonelli has been answered emphatically. The young Italian is brilliant in the way he goes about his racing and his championship campaign.
He continues to get better every time we see him race. The F1 Monaco GP was just another box ticked off as he looks set to increase his championship lead even further.
Loser
Charles Leclerc and Ferrari
Any result less than a pole and a win was a failure for Ferrari and Charles Leclerc at the F1 Monaco GP. The driver has often been the class of the field around this track, but his inability to both get on top of the challenges posed by the car and the basic uncompetitiveness of the package means that the driver has to overdrive to get that spectacular result.
You can do it once, but it won’t come off every time, and that was the case at the F1 Monaco GP as Leclerc got outqualified by teammate Lewis Hamilton at his home race.
Talking about Ferrari, this has to be the race where the Italian team finally put things together. In a season that promised so much at the start of the year, the way things have unravelled is a sign of things just not working out at the Italian team.
Winner
Max Verstappen
Not many would have put Max Verstappen as the driver who would be in contention for pole position in the F1 Monaco GP qualifying. Yet, this was exactly what the driver did.
Max Verstappen’s confidence in the car has continued to grow over the last few races, and the way he had the Red Bull dancing through the streets of the principality came as a surprise to many.
Both Red Bull and Max Verstappen are on a positive trajectory at this point, and many things seem to be coming together for the team.
Loser
George Russell
After the blow in Canada, this was arguably an even bigger blow for George Russell, who claimed that the Mercedes under him was perfectly suited to Kimi Antonelli but not his driving style.
The F1 Monaco GP was the race where Russell was in a must-win situation. The fact that Kimi starts on pole and the Brit is in P6, it’s a complete disaster at this point.
Winner
Pierre Gasly
The “best of the rest” award for the F1 Monaco GP goes to Pierre Gasly, and it comes after an entire weekend where the team struggled to put things together.
Alpine didn’t have the best run in general at this track on Friday, but it appears that the team continued to work away and make improvements to the car, taking it to a point where Gasly can take it to Q3 and be the best of the midfield.
Loser
McLaren
At some point, either McLaren will have to make that definitive step to the top or call time on any of its title aspirations. In a season that’s slowly becoming below par by its standards, the team’s form after the Miami upgrade has been concerning.
After almost winning the race in America, McLaren has slowly drifted away, and if that continues, the hope for a title battle is as good as gone.
Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli