Hamilton to fight from 7th in Monaco

25th May 2024

Championship leader Max Verstappen will start sixth, with Charles Leclerc taking pole position

After a notoriously challenging session, Sir Lewis Hamilton could only produce a time 0.351 seconds off pole when it really counted, resulting in a 7th position start for tomorrow’s (May 26) Monaco Grand Prix, writes Damian Hall.

This comes after strong showings over three practice sessions, consistently placing his Mercedes in the top three on the challenging Monaco circuit.

Known for its narrow streets and tight corners, Monaco demands absolute precision in qualifying, and any mistake can be severely punishing.

Interestingly, the Mercedes team brought only one upgraded wing to the circuit. Hamilton opted against using it, allowing his teammate George Russell to benefit from the upgrade. Russell qualified 5th, 0.273 seconds from the top spot.

In a surprising turn of events, championship leader and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen struggled all weekend with his car and will start in 6th position, just ahead of Hamilton.

Home favorite Charles Leclerc from Ferrari impressed all weekend, delivering pole position for the home crowd with a time of 1:10.270. This marks the Monegasque’s third pole at his home race, despite never finishing within the top three.

In a post-qualifying interview, Leclerc said: “Now I know more often than not in the past that qualifying is not everything. We need to put everything together come Sunday.”

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified second for the race, 0.154 seconds off the lead in his Mercedes-powered machine, followed by the second Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, who was 0.248 seconds off the pace of his teammate Leclerc.

In a post-qualifying interview, Sainz said: “The priority is to win with Charles tomorrow,” hinting that he will be playing a team game by supporting Leclerc in blocking Piastri and others from attacking him at the start.

Around this 2-mile, 19-turn, high-risk street circuit, anything can happen, and strategies are always evolving. Hamilton and his team will have to fight hard to make up places and maximize points. He currently sits 8th in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.

Fans can expect an exciting and unpredictable race tomorrow (May 26) in Monaco.

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