Charles Leclerc, Formula One Driver on Saturday took a sensational pole position in the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing on his final lap.
With his first run in Q3, the Monegasque turned in the quickest lap of the entire weekend, but on his second pass, he pushed a bit too hard and clipped the Armco as he entered the chicane, breaking his front suspension and sending him across the kerb and into the barrier on the other side.
That incident brought out the red flag with less than a minute to go, ending the session prematurely and preventing anyone – including Max Verstappen who was purple in sector one – from completing their final lap.
As a result, Leclerc held onto pole, Ferrari’s first since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix, making him the first Monegasque on pole in Monaco since Louis Chiron (whom Leclerc’s helmet for this weekend is dedicated to) in 1936. This was an eight-pole position for Charles Leclerc and was his first at his home.
However, it remains unclear how significant the damage is to his Ferrari and whether or not he will incur grid penalties for the changing of parts.Verstappen ended up second, in what is his first front row in Monaco, with Valtteri Bottas the leading Mercedes and completing the top three.
Reigning world champion and championship leader Lewis Hamilton ended up down in seventh, starting outside the top six for the first time since the 2018 German Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz, who was one of the drivers who had to abort following his team mate’s crash, was fourth – his highest grid slot in the Principality. However, it is the first time he has been outqualified by a team mate around the streets of Monaco.
