Antonelli snatches pole for Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Verstappen

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli pulled out all the stops on his final lap to snatch pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix from Max Verstappen.

The 19-year-old Italian in the Mercedes beat the Red Bull four-times world champion by just 0.043 seconds. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was third quickest.

Starting from the very front of the grid is a big advantage through the winding streets of the glamorous principality, where overtaking is notoriously difficult.

Antonelli, fastest in final practice earlier on Saturday, picked up his fourth pole of a burgeoning career.

Ferrari, who had topped the timesheets in Friday practice, were without team boss Fred Vasseur for qualifying due to health problems.

The team said the 58-year-old Frenchman was staying under observation at a clinic without specifying his ailment.

The sun was shining on the yachts, casino and packed stands in Monaco, where Hamilton had a notable fan. His girlfriend, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, turned up to watch him for the first time.

The British seven-times champion finished ahead of team-mate, Monaco-born Charles Leclerc, who was fourth fastest.

Antonelli is 43 points ahead of team-mate George Russell at the top of the drivers’ standings. Russell was only sixth in qualifying behind Isack Hadjar.

World champion Lando Norris was eighth fastest in his Mercedes, just behind team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto crashed on the tight course in Q1 to dash his hopes of the top 10 as he was eliminated in Q2 without a time.

British Haas driver Oliver Bearman went out in Q1 after a crash in practice left his mechanics with a tight window to fix his car.

Sunday’s 78-lap Monaco Grand Prix is the sixth of 22 rounds, assuming the cancelled races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are not held later in the year.