F1 Monaco GP live commentary and updates - Qualifying

THAT'S IT FROM QUALIFYING

A thoroughly deserved pole position for Antonelli there. Watch a replay of the onboard if you can; it's a thing of beauty. The championship leader really was in a different class from his teammate today.

Join us again for the Monaco Grand Prix - lights out at 15:00 local tomorrow.

Photo by: Getty Images

"This was a good day and I definitely enjoyed it in qualifying," says Verstappen. Someone minute that – Max admits he enjoyed driving one of the 2026 cars...

"Congrats to Kimi. Mega mega job, to get your first pole here is special," says Hamilton.

A disappointing outcome for the two McLarens, both over half a second off the absolute pace in P7 and P8. Gasly won the battle of the front-midfield from Lawson. Looks like he put on a new set of softs for his final run, while Lawson didn't.

No, Leclerc has had something go wrong in the final corners, he's trundling. What's happened? Ah, replays show him getting some snap oversteer at Tabac and tapping the barrier with his right-rear.

Not the biggest accident ever seen there. Famously, during practice for the 1933 race, Rudolf Caracciola lost the brakes on his Alfa Romeo and careered into the steps on the outside of that corner, beyond where the barrier is now.

"Don't worry, we have a great hospital," said the proprietor of the Tabac. "Lots of famous people have died there."

Wow! Verstappen snatches P1 with a 1m12.094s. Hamilton then flashes across the line in 1m12.279s to bag P2 and push his teammate down to P3.

Make that P4! Antonelli does a 1m12.051s - 0.043s quicker than Max.

So that's provisional pole. Can Leclerc respond?

1m12.765s for Norris.

Piastri improves with a 1m12.624s.

Just over a minute to go and Piastri starts what will be his final lap. The other runners are out on track too. Norris is green in sector one. Verstappen purple in sector one. It's all kicking off now!

Green first sector, purple second sector - Leclerc is building this lap nicely. Provisional pole! He crosses the line in 1m12.351s.

Leclerc bails out of a lap so he's still showing as P10 on 1m16.662s.

And the F1 TV feed cuts to Kim Kardashian. *drinks*

Leclerc lapping solo now, a late entrant to the track. This is a clear gambit to avoid traffic - will it be proved a smart move?

Well, it's not going to be clear for long because Gasly, Lawson and Piastri are on the way out.

Well there's obviously a little bit on the table for Verstappen. What about Russell? He managed to separate the two McLarens, currently P5 after the first runs with 1m12.826s. Hadjar just behind him on 1m12.885s.

Antonelli to P1 with a 1m12.375s, but Verstappen is flying behind him... oof! Max has to unwind the steering to quell an oversteer snap at the exit of Rascasse. 1m12.376s, just 0.001s off Antonelli.

1m12.916s for Piastri, with a lurid oversteer moment at the end of the lap. Norris immediately demotes him with a 1m12.765s.

"Hold my beer" says Lewis Hamilton with a 1m12.553s.

Piastri going purple in the first two sectors now, this is looking decent.

Nothing spectacular in the first push laps. Norris a 1m18.350s, Leclerc with 1m16.662s...

Well, we didn't have Ferraris in P4 and P6 on our bingo cards for qualifying, but you can never count Red Bull out. A remarkable lap by Verstappen to edge Antonelli into P2 by 0.205s, and a great job by Hadjar too given his confidence-knocking slip yesterday.

Albon did a 1m13.787s – very close but he was a bit scrappy through the swimming pool section, taking far too much kerb and the car didn't like it.

Gasly's 1m13.762s proves good enough to keep him in P10 and through to Q3.

Verstappen does a 1m12.499s for P1, Hadjar goes P3 with a 1m12.722. Scenes!

Russell pops in another lap... it's better – 1m13.238s – but not enough to elevate him from P8.

Lawson annexes P9 with 1m13.471s. 1m13.3s is the projected cut-off time by F1 TV.

Two minutes to go and the bun fight is in progress for those on the cusp of the top 10.

1m13.010 for Piastri, no elevation from P5 but it gets him closer to teammate Norris.

Antonelli shaves a little more off, 1m12.704s. Leclerc P2, 0.070s off the Mercedes. Hamilton pits for a front wing adjustment - he's 0.387s off P1.

Replay shows Russell's Merc twitching like a go-kart at the swimming pool entry.

So 0.150 separates the top four of Antonelli-Verstapopen-Norris-Leclerc. Piastri in P5 is 0.38s off. Russell still struggling, 1m13.321s – the Ted Rogers fractions – is only good for P8 now.

Yes, Verstappen bounces Norris out of P2 with a 1m12.840s. That's just 0.062s off Antonelli.

As the second half of Q2 approaches we're getting into serious laptimes. Antonelli fastest so far with 1m12.778, Norris a tenth off but Verstappen is purple in sector one, green in sector two...

Obviously Max flies in a different section of the plane, but this writer certainly wouldn't be bouncing such choice phraseology around, having been sandwiched between various Aston Martin, Cadillac and Red Bull bolters in economy on most flights this year.

No further investigation for the Sainz unsafe release.

New softs for everyone as we embark on Q2.

Q2 IS UNDER WAY

Max Verstappen leads the cars out of the pitlane after a near-miss with Carlos Sainz's Williams. That team is now under investigation for an unsafe release, and the mechanic who beckoned Carlos out stands accused by Max of being an effing idiot...

That turned out to be less dramatic than expected as Perez, Bearman, Bottas and Alonso didn't get close to escaping. The cut-off time was Arvid Lindblad's 1m14.685s in P16.

Boom! Sainz goes P10 with 1m14.348s. That gets him out of the drop zone and pushes Ocon into it. Stroll fails to escape by dint of not even attempting a final lap.