Norris sets track record to claim Monaco pole

MONACO -- Lando Norris set a track record on the streets of Monte Carlo to beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to pole position for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

Norris, who last secured pole position at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, looked quick throughout the session before his final lap tripped the timing beam at 1:09.954. The lap was 0.109 seconds faster than Leclerc's best effort and 0.177 seconds clear of teammate Oscar Piastri in third place.

Norris' qualifying performance could represent a turning point in the British driver's season after he closed the gap to Piastri to 12 points in the drivers' championship at the last round in Imola.

"It means a lot, "Norris said after a run of disappointing qualifying results at recent races. "Not just because it's been a while since the last one but because how things have gone over the last couple of months with qualifyings.

"Monaco is a beautiful place. The hardest track to do it and up against the hometown hero [Leclerc]. I'm very proud of the whole team. We have worked very hard over the past few months. Very pleased," he added.

Leclerc said: "There's always something more to be done, but at the end of the day, this was the best we could do.

"We know that we don't quite have the car to go for wins this year, but this weekend the car felt good, and starting second here, it's going to be tricky to take that first place."

Historically, pole position has been the key to victory on the tight streets of Monaco, but this year a new regulation will force each driver to employ a two-stop strategy rather than the traditional one-stop. The Monaco-specific rule will likely force drivers to push harder throughout the race, while those outside the points-paying positions in the top 10 will likely take strategy gambles.

Lewis Hamilton secured fourth on the grid in his Ferrari ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who could manage only a lap 0.717 seconds off Norris and will start fifth. Both drivers are due to visit the stewards after the session so the officials can determine whether Hamilton impeded Verstappen at Massenet in Q1, which could result in a grid penalty.

At his first Monaco Grand Prix, Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar will start sixth ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and the Haas of Esteban Ocon. Hadjar's teammate Liam Lawson will line-up ninth ahead of the Williams of Alex Albon in tenth.

Albon's teammate Carlos Sainz missed out on a place in the top ten by 0.1 seconds after saying he had "no grip" on his final set of tyres in Q2. He will start in 11th ahead of the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda, who could only manage 12th on the grid, just over 0.1 seconds ahead of Nico Hülkenberg's Sauber in 13th.

George Russell qualified 14th after a suspected electrical issue resulted in his Mercedes grinding to a halt in the tunnel before his first lap flying lap in Q2. Mercedes suspected the issue was caused by Russell driving over a bump in Turn 1, but was waiting for the car to return to the pits before investigating the issue fully.

Recovering the Mercedes from the tunnel resulted in the session being suspended with a red flag.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start one place behind his Mercedes teammate at his first Monaco Grand Prix after crashing at the Nouvelle Chicane on his final lap in Q1.

The 18-year-old was looking to improve on his time when he clipped the inside barrier on the entry to the chicane, damaged his front left suspension and went straight on into the barrier between the race track and Monaco's harbour. He was unharmed in the accident, but with his car damaged and stranded halfway round the lap, he was unable to continue into Q2.

Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto missed out on a place in Q2 to Antonelli by 0.102 seconds and will start in 16th place. The Haas of Oliver Bearman was 17th fastest, but was always destined to start towards the back of the grid due to a 10-place penalty for overtaking under red flags in Friday practice. He will therefore line up 20th and last on the grid.

Pierre Gasly will start 17th ahead of Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto, who was slowest of all in Q1 but moved up two places to 18th thanks to Bearman's 10-place penalty and a one-place penalty for Lance Stroll, who impeded caused an accident by impeding Leclerc in first practice on Friday.