F1 2025: Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying Recap | Norris on pole at the Principality as McLaren take the advantage

Woeful Saturday for Mercedes

Lando Norris stole pole from home hero Charles Leclerc in a thrilling qualifying session at the Monaco Grand Prix 2025 with the session seeing multiple red flags and penalties being handed out at the Principality.

Here’s a quick recap of how the Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session went.

Q1 – Leclerc quickest, Alpine suffer double knockout

Oscar Piastri’s first run of 1:11.385s set the quickest time of the first qualifying session as he went quicker than his teammate, Lando Norris by a hundredth with Leclerc further hundredth. Leclerc, though, stole P1 towards the end of the session with a 1:11.229s. As the session came to an end, Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin was the big name struggling in the drop zone but the double world champion got himself out of the drop zone with a much-improved final lap of the session for the Spaniard.

A late red-flag caused by Kimi Antonelli crashing out ended the session with Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Haas’ Ollie Bearman, both Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto and Lance Stroll failing to get out of Q1. Antonelli’s earlier time saw him through to Q2 but the damage to his car effectively ended his qualifying session.

Drivers eliminated in Q1

Gabriel Bortoleto
Ollie Bearman
Pierre Gasly
Lance Stroll
Franco Colapinto

Q2 – No silver lining for the Silver Arrows, Tsunoda disappoints again on Saturday

Lando Norris’ 1:10.959s set the quickest time early on in Q2 with Verstappen a hundredth slower in P2 but it was an early red flag once again because of George Russell’s engine giving out. While Norris and the two Ferraris were battling at the top, it was Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar trying to keep themselves alive for Q3. 

As the clock ran out for the session, along with both the Mercedeses who were knocked out, it was Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda and Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg exiting in Q2 with Esteban Ocon and Isack Hadjar, both of whom were in the drop zone, put in two strong final laps to get themselves into Q3.

Drivers eliminated in Q2

Carlos Sainz
Yuki Tsunoda
Nico Hülkenberg
George Russell
Kimi Antonelli

Q3 – Norris touchable as Hamilton gets post session penalty

The final qualifying session saw Norris putting in the benchmark time early on with a 1:10.464s, over half a tenth clear of his teammate with Charles Leclerc managing only P3 in his first run. Verstappen and Hamilton both tried to catch the McLarens but were unable to and had to settle for the third row. As the grid started putting in the final laps, Oscar Piastri took provisional pole with a 1:10.140s before being dislodged by his teammate once again but it was Leclerc’s 1:10.063s that sent the home fans in a frenzy.

While Piastri and Leclerc were unable to go any quicker, Norris managed to squeeze in an impressive 1:09.954s in his last attempt to steal pole from Leclerc with Piastri managing P3 ahead of Hamilton who edged out Verstappen for P4. Hamilton later was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Verstappen in Q1, which dropped Hamilton to P7.

Starting Grid for the Monaco Grand Prix 2025

1.  Lando Norris
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Oscar Piastri
4. Max Verstappen
5. Isack Hadjar
6. Fernando Alonso
7. Lewis Hamilton*
8. Esteban Ocon
9. Liam Lawson
10. Alex Albon
11. Carlos Sainz
12. Yuki Tsunoda
13. Nico Hülkenberg
14. George Russell
15. Kimi Antonelli
16. Gabriel Bortoleto
17. Ollie Bearman
18. Pierre Gasly
19. Lance Stroll
20. Franco Colapinto

*three place grid penalty