Max surprises with front row start in Monaco: 'I would have taken it'

Published on 06 June 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen has qualified second for the Monaco Grand Prix after a tense qualifying session. The Dutchman was on course for pole position in the closing stages, but Kimi Antonelli managed to go fastest on his very last lap, taking the first place on the starting grid. Lewis Hamilton qualifies third, while Charles Leclerc, after a mistake on his final attempt, has to settle for fourth, ahead of Isack Hadjar.

“If you would have told me yesterday that we would be on the front row, I would have taken it,” Max says afterwards. “I went into qualifying thinking: maybe top five. So when you’re fighting for pole, that just feels really good.” The Dutchman was surprised by Red Bull’s pace. “I didn’t expect it to be that much better compared to the rest. I just didn’t expect to be in the fight for pole.”

Thanks to his strong final lap, Max secures a place on the front row. The Dutchman now turns his focus to Sunday. “We need a bit of luck of course. You can’t overtake here, but you never know,” he reflects. Asked whether he was disappointed with the tiny gap to polesitter Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen remains calm: “I didn’t make any mistakes on my lap, so I don’t think you can be too negative about it.”

Looking back on the session, Max also reflects on the feeling of the current generation of Formula 1 cars around a circuit like Monaco. “They are more on edge than the last few years. Even with the power delivery, drivability and shifting, it’s all a bit different. Once you get on top of it and you get a clean lap out of it, especially in qualifying where you’re flat out on the limit, it’s very rewarding when it goes well.”

The qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix gets underway in 23-degree conditions, with a track temperature of 46 degrees. On no other circuit is track position more important than in the Principality, where overtaking is traditionally extremely difficult. Oliver Bearman takes to the track for Q1 despite his crash in third practice, after the Haas mechanics repair the damage in time.

Max is one of the last drivers to set a time in Q1. His first flying lap is aborted due to traffic, but on his second attempt he manages a 1:14.504 despite the traffic, placing him fifth. Teammate Isack Hadjar has a difficult start to the session and expresses frustration over team radio about his preparation. Max continues to improve: first up to a 1:14.007, good enough for fifth place, and later to within two tenths of Charles Leclerc, moving him up to second. Shortly after, Q1 is red-flagged when Gabriel Bortoleto hits the barriers after the tunnel and ends up in the wall with a broken suspension.

With just over a minute remaining, Q1 resumes. The top six, including Max, choose to stay in the garage. Both Aston Martins, the two Cadillacs, Sainz and Bearman are in the danger zone. Only Sainz manages to escape by jumping up to tenth place. That means Ocon, Pérez, Bearman, Bottas, Alonso and Stroll are eliminated.

At the start of Q2, Sainz gets in Max’s way while leaving the pit box, much to the Dutchman’s frustration. Max opens with a 1:13.205 but is quickly beaten by both Ferraris, the McLarens and Antonelli. On his next run he climbs to second, just behind the Mercedes driver. Russell, meanwhile, struggles and does not get higher than eighth. In the closing stages, Leclerc moves ahead of Max into second, while Antonelli fails to improve on his own time. Max does improve: with an impressive 1:12.499, he goes more than two tenths quicker than the Italian and finishes Q2 fastest. Albon, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Lindblad and Bortoleto are eliminated in Q2.

Norris and Piastri open Q3 with the first benchmark laps, but Hamilton and Antonelli soon move to the top. The Italian sets the pace with a 1:12.375. Max responds almost immediately and slots into second, just one thousandth behind Antonelli with an amazing lap. The tension builds in the final minutes. Leclerc is still down the order after aborting his first run, but the Monegasque strikes back on his next attempt. With a 1:12.351 he takes provisional pole. Max responds immediately with a stunning lap of his own and moves into first place. Hamilton is unable to beat Max’s time, leaving all eyes on Antonelli and Leclerc for their final attempts. Leclerc, however, hits the wall and sees his pole chances disappear. Antonelli keeps his composure, finds extra time and delivers a sensational final lap. With that, he ultimately pushes Max off first place and takes pole position by four hundredths of a second over the Dutchman. Hamilton takes P3, with Leclerc fourth.

Results qualifying Monaco: