PORTALBERITA.CO.ID - Mercedes rising star Kimi Antonelli dramatically captured pole position for the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix following an intensely competitive qualifying session in the principality. This achievement places the 19-year-old Italian driver in the most advantageous starting spot for Sunday’s race.
The sensational performance saw Antonelli narrowly beat his primary rival, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, by an incredibly slim margin of just 0.043 seconds during the final shootout. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton managed to secure the third spot on the grid, rounding out the top three contenders for the street circuit event.
As reported by The Guardian, this marks Antonelli’s impressive fourth pole position in the six races contested so far this season. This strong qualifying run further extends his lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell in the Drivers’ Championship standings to 43 points.
Speaking immediately after the high-pressure session, Antonelli admitted to feeling the strain of the tight competition on the unforgiving street track. "Kind of shaking, to be fair. It’s just super-intense," Antonelli said.
He elaborated on the difficulty of extracting the final fraction of speed required at Monaco against top rivals. "You have no margin of mistake and when it’s about polishing those last two, three tenths, it’s never easy," he added, acknowledging the strength of his competitors. "Especially when Max is so close and also the Ferrari. Lewis has been so strong the whole weekend, that is not easy," Antonelli stated.
Both Verstappen and Hamilton offered high praise for the young Mercedes driver’s evident world-class potential during their post-qualifying interviews. Verstappen confirmed that Antonelli possesses the rare qualities seen in elite talents moving up through the racing ranks. "Yeah, for sure," Verstappen said, noting that some drivers immediately show special speed when they switch categories.
Verstappen continued his assessment of Antonelli’s trajectory, noting that talent alone is insufficient at the highest level. "When you get to Formula One, sometimes it’s not only talent, things have to come together, you need to become a more all-round driver and then, of course, you need to have the package to be able to do it," Verstappen observed. He concluded by affirming Antonelli’s current execution: "This year he’s showing that once he has a package that can do it, he’s delivering as a driver," Verstappen confirmed.
Mercedes confirmed they maintained their perfect qualifying record for the year after identifying significant performance gains during the final practice session held earlier on June 7, 2026. Conversely, Hamilton struggled with car balance issues leading into the qualifying stages, while Russell reported a distinct lack of grip, resulting in a disappointing sixth-place start.
Local hero Charles Leclerc qualified fourth for Ferrari, slotting in just ahead of Isack Hadjar in fifth place, while McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris occupied the seventh and eighth positions, respectively. During the frantic final Q3 runs, Leclerc briefly seized provisional pole with a time of 1:12.351, sparking massive cheers from the home crowd.
