Q1
In the first part of qualifying, Alpine opted for a different strategy, running medium tyres for their opening laps while the rest of the field went out on softs. Hamilton’s car was repaired just in time, with the team replacing the entire gearbox after his FP3 crash. Verstappen was the last to join the track, emerging with 12 minutes remaining, but quickly became the first driver to dip below 1:12s.
Russell, meanwhile, complained about smoke from his front brakes in bad omen of what would come next. Interestingly, lap times continued to improve despite the tyre wear. Gasly fumed over the radio after getting impeded by Stroll in the pool section. Stroll claimed the sunlight blinded him as he exited the tunnel.
Bortoleto clipped the wall on his fast lap but still managed to go P13. With four minutes to go, Alpine sat at the bottom with their medium tyre gamble not paying off. Leclerc topped the timesheets once again.
A yellow flag at the end of the the segment quickly turned red when cameras showed Antonelli in the wall at the chicane. Leclerc, Norris, and Piastri ended Q1 on top, while Bortoleto, Bearman, Gasly, Stroll, and Colapinto were eliminated.
Q2
Q2’s start was delayed for barrier repairs, during which race control confirmed Hamilton would be investigated post-session for impeding Verstappen. Meanwhile, replays showed Alonso brushing the wall lightly.
Ferrari and Williams surprised by starting the session on mediums, mimicking Alpine’s earlier tactic. But another red flag soon followed as Russell stopped in the tunnel, losing power after hitting a bump. That marked a double Q2 exit for Mercedes.
The session resumed at 16:44 — a fitting reference to Leclerc and Hamilton’s car numbers, much to Ferrari social media’s delight. Ferrari switched back to softs, while Williams stayed on mediums until the final moments, switching to the C6 tyres only with 2:30 to go.
The gamble paid off for Albon, who went P3 behind Norris and Leclerc. Sainz struggled to put together a clean lap and was eliminated, along with Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, and both Mercedes cars.
Q3
Ocon and Albon began Q3 on mediums, while the McLarens went 1–2 on their first flying laps. Hadjar had his lap deleted — a rare sight in Monaco. Fearing a late yellow or red flag, McLaren sent their drivers out again with five minutes to go, while others waited longer in the pits.
The final minutes were a showcase of raw pace and driver skill, with McLaren benefiting from an extra push lap just as the track reached peak performance.
Norris came out on top, securing pole ahead of Leclerc and Piastri — creating a front three all in white overalls. Hamilton slotted into P4, with Verstappen behind in P5.
Norris celebrated with clear joy, while Leclerc gave a quick shake of the head, despite securing Ferrari’s first front-row start of the season.