Kimi Antonelli secures magic pole position in Monaco
It is absolutely wild to watch Kimi Antonelli perform right now. After finishing fifth on Friday and sitting half a second off the pace, the Mercedes driver pulled off a stunning final lap in Q3 to snatch pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the first time Mercedes has seen a pole in Monte Carlo since Lewis Hamilton managed it back in 2019.
Antonelli described the effort as a "magic lap," noting just a single millisecond separated him from Red Bull's Max Verstappen during the first run of the session. He will lead the field on Sunday ahead of Verstappen, the Ferrari pair of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull, and Mercedes team mate George Russell.
The teenager admitted the intense nature of qualifying at this track—where the walls feel like they are closing in—made the task a massive challenge. Still, he credits the team for the huge overnight gains that allowed him to fight for the top spot. Antonelli now looks to turn this pole into a fifth consecutive victory to extend his 43-point lead over Russell in the Drivers’ Championship.
