Charles Leclerc took a powerful pole place on Saturday on the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix – the third time he’s secured prime spot at his residence circuit.
The Scuderia Ferrari driver will probably be hoping it’s third time fortunate as he seems to be for his first victory across the streets of Monte Carlo, however there will probably be a stern problem from Oscar Piastri, who secured a entrance row spot in qualifying for the second consecutive race weekend.
Learn what the drivers needed to say after an exciting hour of qualifying:
Charles Leclerc — Scuderia Ferrari — 1st
“I’m very pleased. We have been quick proper from the start of the weekend and I actually assume the entire workforce deserves this pole place.
“We all know how necessary is observe place right here and having the likelihood to begin in entrance of everybody offers us the most effective possibilities.We all know from the previous that now we have to win the race tomorrow on observe however thus far now we have executed a tremendous job.
“In fact, I wish to thank all of the folks right here as I felt their assist proper from Wednesday. Now now we have to finish the job, and we’ll do our greatest to carry residence this victory.”
Oscar Piastri — McLaren F1 Staff — 2nd
“I’m actually happy with that. It’s nice to be beginning on the entrance row, and subsequent to Leclerc who has been extremely fast all weekend. I really feel like we’ve been constructing momentum, and what higher colors to do it in than these.
“Our intention for tomorrow is to get a superb begin, and take the alternatives that may come to us. Whereas overtaking will probably be difficult, we’ll give it all the things. We’ve obtained a superb beginning spot, so let’s see what we will do.”
Carlos Sainz — Scuderia Ferrari — third
“I really feel that I’ve progressed properly at the moment after a troublesome begin to the weekend yesterday. In fact I’m not glad as I might have most popular to be on the entrance row.
“Nonetheless, now we have a superb preventing likelihood for tomorrow and we nonetheless have an extended race forward of us.Congrats to Charles for the pole place at residence! Let’s race.”
Lando Norris — McLaren F1 Staff — 4th
“A superb Qualifying end result for us. It was simply so shut. In fact, we’d have beloved to have been one or two positions increased, particularly right here the place overtaking is so troublesome, however, I’m pleased with it and we’re in a superb place.
“A superb job by the workforce for Oscar to be in P2. We’ve obtained a superb workforce end result and we’ll attempt to maximise it.”
George Russell — Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Staff — fifth
That was a robust end result at the moment. It’s simply two hundredths of a second to P3, so in fact it’s irritating when the gaps are so shut, however the principle factor is that we’re making progress. The workforce has labored flat out to carry new components right here prior to anticipated, and that’s massively appreciated as a result of the automobile was feeling nice.
“The automobile was dancing loads within the first sector and my lap felt very robust – afterwards, you may at all times persuade your self there was bit extra in there, but it surely’s simply such a tremendous adrenaline rush to drive a lap on this circuit.
“General, I’m pleased as a result of we might have been P3 at the moment, however most significantly we’re making progress and hopefully this generally is a little bit of a turning level on condition that our automobile has by no means been tremendous robust right here. The race has been fairly chaotic within the final couple of years and I’m undecided what the climate will probably be like tomorrow, I suppose a little bit of rain can be welcome to spice issues up!”
Max Verstappen — Oracle Pink Bull Racing — sixth
“It has not been a superb weekend for the Staff on the whole. We’ve tried a number of modifications over the previous few days and nothing has helped optimise the efficiency of the automobile. Usually, it drives properly on the straight however has been very troublesome over the curves and bumps so has not been good to drive on this type of observe.
“The journey of the automobile just isn’t good and it has been bouncing round loads, which makes it actually difficult. The difficulty isn’t a brand new factor for us and now we have been scuffling with this for some time.
“We’ve tried all the things to resolve the problem however I nonetheless felt like I used to be usually near going into the wall. Though I did really feel snug pushing it to the restrict, it’s a enormous problem to be constant and we simply didn’t have the quickest automobile at the moment.
“Seeking to tomorrow, we’ll work onerous to attempt to discover the issue. In Monaco issues can occur that you simply don’t count on, so by no means say by no means, however we aren’t anticipating miracles.”
Lewis Hamilton — Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Staff — seventh
“The automobile has felt nice this weekend from the get-go and we have been aggressive by way of Friday and this morning in follow. I’ve been pushing the bounds in every single place and the qualifying laps felt good. However every time I’m going into qualifying, I battle to maintain making progress with the automobile and it appears like I lose efficiency relative to the vehicles round me.
“There was a little bit of a distinction with our vehicles within the high-speed corners, as George is working the brand new wing this weekend, however it’s nice to see the workforce pushing so onerous to carry upgrades to the final race and this one, too.
“We’ve been a lot nearer to the entrance right here, and the automobile is feeling significantly better than it has in Monaco in earlier years; we simply must carry on pushing and getting nearer to the entrance by way of the yr.”
Yuki Tsunoda — Visa Money App RB – eighth
“At this time was a lot tougher than anticipated, however we picked up the tempo rather a lot and managed to enhance lap by lap in each session from Q1 to Q3. Q1 was a little bit of a battle contemplating the tempo we had in free follow, however we managed to squeeze out each millisecond from the automobile.
“It was tremendous intense, one mistake is an enormous compromise right here. I felt just a little little bit of stress, however on the identical time loved it, I managed to maintain my thoughts calm and extract the efficiency of the automobile. It’s going to be difficult tomorrow, it’s onerous to overhaul right here so the beginning could be very decisive and the principle factor is to have a clear race.
“The tempo is nice, so we simply must extract all automobile’s efficiency. General as a workforce, we did a improbable job, persistently this week. Ending up in P8, it’s a pleasant feeling and positively particular right here.”
Alex Albon — Williams Racing — FP1: fifteenth, FP2: ninth
“It was nice on the market at the moment; I actually loved these laps. We’ve had the automobile in a superb place all weekend, nevertheless we’re nonetheless struggling just a little with understeer in Sector 2, so we’ve made some modifications all through the day to strive get on prime of it.
“It was all about getting the tyres in the proper window, so we selected clear air, specializing in the tyres and never worrying in regards to the observe evolution as a lot. Seeking to tomorrow, graining is perhaps an issue, so we’ll must handle this all through the race. Hopefully, I can get some clear air and take care of the tyres.
“On paper, this observe is the least weight penalising of the yr, so it’s allowed us to play on a barely extra stage taking part in area.
“For the workforce, I believe with Logan not having the upgrades and with a barely alternate setup, it was probably the distinction in him making it into Q2.”
Pierre Gasly — BWT Alpine F1 Staff — tenth
“I’m very happy we reached Q3 at the moment for the primary time this yr. I took a number of dangers and touched the wall one time too many however these are the probabilities it’s a must to absorb Qualifying in Monaco.
“In the long run, I’m happy with the end result, even when extra was attainable. We needed to work onerous yesterday and the simulator workforce again at Enstone did a terrific job to check out a couple of take a look at objects and counsel some modifications to enhance the automobile.
“We all know Monaco is a observe stuffed with alternatives and now we have put ourselves in rivalry to attain factors in tomorrow’s race. There’s nonetheless an extended race forward of us. We are going to must be ready for a lot of eventualities with the goal to come back away with factors for the workforce.”
Esteban Ocon — BWT Alpine F1 Staff — eleventh
“It’s been a really busy Qualifying day in Monaco. From my facet, it’s positively blended emotions. There are positives as we made some good enhancements to the automobile to actually be in rivalry for the highest ten in Qualifying.
“We obtained by way of Q1 comfortably however I made a mistake on my Q2 lap by locking up into Flip 1, which probably price us a spot in Q3. We had the tempo and I pushed to the bounds to optimise all the things we had in hand and typically errors do occur.
“We’re beginning near the factors and there are at all times alternatives to soak up Monaco. We are going to give it our all from the place we’re beginning with the ambition of scoring factors for the workforce.”
Nico Hülkenberg — Haas F1 Staff — twelfth
“I believe the automobile is the place it’s been trying all weekend, simply not fairly ok for the highest 10. My final lap was fairly clear in Q2 so I’m pleased about that.
“Sadly, we simply weren’t fast sufficient, however the place we’re in P12, we’re going to want to roll the cube and take some dangers to get a end result. We’ll must see the place all the things unravels after the beginning.”
Daniel Ricciardo — Visa Money App RB – thirteenth
“It was a tricky day at the moment. Qualifying is essential right here in Monaco and it hurts beginning exterior the highest 10 for tomorrow’s race. Yesterday we felt we have been in a superb place, I knew there was just a little bit to come back for us so I used to be positively excited coming into at the moment, however sadly, it appears like we took just a little little bit of a again step.
“I’m not upset with the best way I drove, it simply merely wasn’t fairly sufficient to get essentially the most out of it the place I wanted to. The automobile was barely trickier in some locations and I used to be struggling just a little, but it surely wasn’t a matter of us making any massive errors.
“Personally, I simply discovered it troublesome to get the tyres going within the first lap after which, each time I used to be capable of carry the tempo, we couldn’t discover as a lot time because the others. I’ve certified a couple of instances round this place right here and positively, it gained’t make our life simple.
“It’s irritating, however we’ll work along with the workforce to grasp a couple of issues higher and we’ll attempt to get on prime of it for the race.”
Lance Stroll — Aston Martin Armaco F1 Staff — 14th
“I believe extra was attainable at the moment. I put in some robust lap instances to progress by way of to Q1, however then hit some site visitors throughout my ultimate flying lap in Q2.
“That price us a few tenths. It’s particularly robust to cross right here, so I count on we’ll have a troublesome day tomorrow, however we’ll nonetheless be seeking to struggle for factors.”
Kevin Magnussen — Haas F1 Staff — fifteenth
“The tempo was there within the automobile and I believe we might’ve been preventing for Q3, and Q3 in Monaco means you rating factors, so I’m fairly gutted once more. We fuelled the automobile for an additional lap in case within the first lap we encountered site visitors, and we might abort.
“I began the push lap, gained multiple tenth within the first nook however we aborted the lap. Within the second lap, there was site visitors the entire lap.”
Fernando Alonso — Aston Martin Armaco F1 Staff — sixteenth
“It was a case of fallacious place and fallacious second at the moment for me. That is Monaco and it is advisable discover some luck right here too! I misplaced fairly a little bit of lap time with the site visitors in Q1 and there may be no person responsible as we will’t count on the site visitors to fade.
“Heading into Qualifying, we have been pondering Q3 seemed attainable. It will likely be a tricky day tomorrow, however we’ll take any alternatives that come our manner.”
Logan Sargeant — Williams Racing — seventeenth
It was a superb session for us. I’ve been driving properly since FP1 and I used to be actually pleased with my laps in Qualifying – I felt like I obtained all the things out of the bundle I had at the moment.
“Clearly, we’ve been open that now we have some cross-car variations this weekend and I can solely count on fairly a little bit of the distinction is coming from that. It’s robust to overhaul right here however we have to deal with ourselves, attempt to have clear stints and see what we will do tomorrow. Monaco is among the most particular tracks to drive.
“To take a seat in an F1 automobile and pull out of the storage for Qualifying is like no different and to have the ability to put the automobile on the sting like that’s all the things we dream of so it’s a pleasure to drive right here.”
Sergio Pérez — Oracle Pink Bull Racing — 18th
“At this time was an entire catastrophe, we didn’t get into the rhythm and we didn’t have the tempo. On my ultimate lap when issues have been trying good, I got here to turns six and 7, they have been stuffed with site visitors, then there have been some stickers or one thing laid down on the observe and I couldn’t get the lap that I wanted.
“Two or three tenths would have modified it, however I didn’t get it after which sadly the tyres have been too heat and I couldn’t get by way of Q1. We should always have been in Q3 and given the margins have been so small, a greater lap would have modified issues dramatically, we have been P5 this morning, so we knew what we have been able to.
“It has been a really difficult, troublesome weekend for us and never very best total. I’m simply very upset as a result of we couldn’t get the utmost out of the automobile at the moment and we had a lot extra potential than we confirmed. Sadly, except there may be some rain tomorrow, we can’t hope for a lot, there may be almost zero likelihood to overhaul round right here.”
Valtteri Bottas — Stake F1 Staff Kick Sauber — nineteenth
“At this time has been a difficult day within the workplace. I barely touched the wall this morning throughout the ultimate follow session; nothing main, as I used to be nonetheless ready to participate in Qualifying later within the day. Sadly, we simply didn’t have sufficient one-lap tempo to make it previous the Q2 threshold – that was fairly easy.
“General, it hasn’t been a simple weekend for our workforce thus far. Monaco is among the most difficult tracks on the calendar – that’s each its finest function and what makes it so demanding. There will probably be lots to research in a single day, to seek out that further step that would permit us to barely enhance tomorrow.
“Issues ought to be a bit higher within the race, as soon as all the things stabilises, though it’s not going to be a simple one ranging from the very again. Nonetheless, not all hope is misplaced; we all know very properly how something can occur right here, and we’ll make sure that to be at our greatest to catch any good alternative.”
Zhou Guanyu — Stake F1 Staff Kick Sauber — twentieth
“The entire weekend has been troublesome thus far, and at the moment’s qualifying session was no exception. We weren’t capable of get all the things – from tyres to temperature – in the proper window at the moment, and I struggled loads with a scarcity of grip.
“On such a observe, you want confidence and grip to extract most out of your laps, and whereas I reckon that my efforts have been fairly clear, we’re nonetheless a second off. In Monaco, Saturday issues most, nevertheless, the race is at all times a special story, and we’ll use it to raised perceive what we’re missing to shut the hole.
“As a workforce we’ll look additional into our setup to see how we will enhance forward of tomorrow.”
