Charles Leclerc made no attempt to hide his disappointment after qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. Starting fourth on the grid, despite briefly holding provisional pole position in Q3, the Ferrari driver knows his race has become complicated even before the start. Speaking to CANAL+, the Monegasque summed up the situation in one sentence: "We're really going to need an exceptional start." A direct statement, befitting the result: Leclerc will start behind Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
A temporary pole, then everything closed up again.
Leclerc had his chance at the end of Q3. In the final moments, he briefly took the lead, reigniting hopes of a pole position on home soil. But the order immediately shifted: Verstappen overtook him, Hamilton slotted in between, and then Antonelli set the fastest time with a 1:12.051.
Leclerc finished fourth in 1:12.351, three-tenths of a second off pole position. Ferrari locked out the second row with Hamilton third and Leclerc fourth, but missed the expected result after a very solid weekend so far.
The last lap stops against the wall
Leclerc attempted to respond on his final flying lap. He couldn't complete the effort: he touched the wall at the end of the session, ending his attempt to improve. The Monegasque driver clipped the wall before bringing his Ferrari to a stop at Rascasse.
Monaco does not forgive a fourth place
Starting fourth in Monaco changes everything. Leclerc won't start far from the front, but he'll be starting behind three cars on a circuit where overtaking remains one of the most difficult exercises of the season.
Antonelli makes a strong move, Ferrari remains in second place
As a reminder, Kimi Antonelli secured pole position ahead of Verstappen by 0.043 seconds. Hamilton will start third, just ahead of Leclerc. The top four are separated by only 0.300 seconds, but in Monaco, three tenths of a second can be enough to turn a frustrating session into a very difficult Sunday…
The Grand Prix will start this Sunday at 15pm. The race can be followed live on Canal+.
