Antonelli reflects on "overnight changes" after his first pole in Monaco

Following his dominant showing in final practice, Andrea Kimi Antonelli produced the defining lap of his young Formula 1 career on Saturday, storming to pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix with a stunning 1m12.051s.

The Italian had already signalled his intent earlier in the day by becoming the first driver to dip below the 1m13s barrier in FP3, and when qualifying reached its decisive final phase, he delivered again. While rivals closed in during a tense Q3 shootout, none could match Antonelli’s outright speed.

His team‑mate George Russell, meanwhile, endured a far more difficult session, admitting that “nothing’s clicking” as he ended up sixth, almost four tenths behind the pole‑sitter.

Antonelli was visibly thrilled after securing the fourth pole position of his career—one that came at the sport’s most iconic and unforgiving circuit.

“Pole position in Monaco is an incredible result. The team did an amazing job to get the car in a good place, particularly with the improvements we made overnight after a difficult Friday.”

The 19‑year‑old acknowledged that the battle for P1 was far from straightforward, with several drivers—including Max Verstappen—looking capable of snatching pole.

“It was such a tight fight out there with so many other cars and drivers that looked capable of taking P1. I am delighted to come away with pole therefore and I’m already looking forward to tomorrow.”

Antonelli admitted that the early stages of qualifying were not entirely smooth, with the car feeling “on edge” before setup tweaks helped unlock the performance he needed.

“Qualifying wasn’t completely straightforward at the start. The car felt a bit on edge but as the session went on, everything started to come together. We made the right adjustments, and I felt much more comfortable with where the car was by the time we got to Q3. That gave me the confidence to really push when it mattered.”

That confidence was evident in his final run, where he threaded the Mercedes through the narrow streets with precision and aggression.

“That final segment of the session was extremely tense and you never quite know what to expect. Finding those last few tenths is never easy, especially with Max so close all the way through. It really came down to nailing the lap at the right moment and I’m very pleased we were able to do that.”

Despite the significance of a Monaco pole, Antonelli was quick to emphasise that the job is far from done. With overtaking notoriously difficult and pressure relentless, Sunday’s race will demand flawless execution.

“To be on pole here means a lot, but at the same time, it’s only the first step. I know who’s around me on the grid, and I’m sure they’ll be putting on the pressure from the very start.”

“The focus now is on getting a strong launch and managing the race from there. We’ve shown good pace all weekend, which gives me confidence, but Monaco is always unpredictable. I’ll try to stay calm, make the most of the opportunity, and see what we can achieve tomorrow.”