When the final 12 minutes of qualifying got underway, Verstappen was already waiting at the end of the pitlane. He went out first, but his benchmark time - a 1:12 - wasn't good enough as the rest of the top ten quickly began picking him off.
He put in another lap, but that, too, wasn't good enough. With minutes to spare, he darted into the pits for the team to perform a race-like pitstop for a fresh set of Soft tyres."I'm very happy," he said in the post-qualifying interviews. "We knew this weekend would be a little bit of a struggle for us, in qualifying, you need to go all out and risk it all. Turn 1 was a bit cautious, so I knew I was behind. I gave it all in the third sector, clipped some barriers. Race-pace-wise, the car is quick. Just need to keep it calm."Home hero Charles Leclerc is still to win around the streets of Monaco but managed to put his Ferrari into third.
Leclerc is under investigation for impeding Lando Norris in the tunnel during Q3. If found guilty, he could lose P3.In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.