Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Grand Prix de Monaco
04 - 07 June 2026
83nd edition
Upcoming Events
Kimi Antonelli has secured pole position for the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Grand Prix de Monaco 2026. The Mercedes driver finished just 0.043 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton will start third, just ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
There are timed laps that make legends, and this one will go down in the history of the Principality. The unbeatable Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) secured a historic pole position, the very first of his young career in Monaco, after a nail-biting finish. It all came down to the wire, in the final corners of the last sector, where the World Championship leader snatched the fastest time and made Max Verstappen fold.
After getting out of his car, the Italian prodigy took stock of his achievement : “It’s one of those laps you call magic… I managed to put it all together, and it’s incredible. Thanks to the whole team, because on Friday we were a bit off the pace, and today (Saturday) we managed to find those tenths we were missing.”
This spectacular lap caps off a stratospheric start to the season. Since the Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli has been in a league of his own, leaving the helpless competition in the dust, much like his teammate George Russell, who has to settle for 6th place on the grid. Above all, this performance cements his place in the history of his sport. The last Italian to triumph at the Principality was none other than Jarno Trulli, in 2004, who also started from pole position. Let’s take a look back at the most exciting qualifying session of the year.
Q1: Bortoleto loses everything
As early as the first segment of qualifying, the axe fell on some teams. Despite starting the weekend with high hopes, Haas saw its dreams dashed prematurely, pushed out of the top 16 by both Williams cars. The Cadillac and Aston Martin drivers also failed to advance.
Another dramatic moment in Q1 : on his final attempt, Gabriel Bortoleto hit the barrier at the Chicane. The Brazilian ruined his chances of making it to Q2, even though he had already qualified for it. Among the favorites, the pecking order held true, with one exception : the McLarens closed the gap significantly on the fastest times compared to free practice.
Q2 : The Red Bull revelation
At the end of the session, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar burst onto the scene out of nowhere to climb to the top of the standings. The Dutchman set the fastest time, just ahead of Kimi Antonelli, who finished ahead of the Frenchman. It was an impressive performance that puts both Red Bulls back on track ahead of the final session, which will determine pole position.
In the middle of the pack, Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson secured a spot in Q3 at the last minute. They finished ahead of the Williams cars driven by Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon. The two Audi drivers, along with Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad, were the others eliminated in this session.
Q3 : Antonelli outperforms Verstappen
The battle for pole position went down to the wire. On his final attempt, Kimi Antonelli snatched first place from Max Verstappen by 43 thousandths of a second. Already in third after his first lap, Lewis Hamilton finished a few lengths ahead of his teammate. Isack Hadjar secured a solid fifth place, despite a weekend that had started out on the rails.
George Russell once again struggled against his teammate. The Mercedes driver secured 6th place after a session to forget. Behind him were the two McLarens, which has been disappointing since the start of Free Practice.
The qualifying session sparked excitement among the thousands of spectators filling the grandstands. During the race, Kimi Antonelli could shatter the record for the youngest-ever Grand Prix winner in Monaco at 19 years, 9 months, and 13 days. The current record holder is Lewis Hamilton (at 23 years, 4 months, and 18 days). He would also become the third Italian to win a Formula 1 race, joining Jarno Trulli and Riccardo Patrese. History will be made this Sunday, June 7th, so tune in at 3 pm for the race start !
