Lando Norris set a new track record lap to beat local hero Charles Leclerc by a tenth of a second at the end of a thrilling qualifying session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. Third place went to championships leader Oscar Piastri. 

At the start of Q1 it was Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen who set the early pace, with the Dutchman’s opening flyer of 1:11.920 taking him almost two tenths ahead of practice pacesetter Leclerc. However, both McLaren driver soon eclipsed that time, with Norris going four tenths quicker, while Piastri stopped the clock at 1:11.385 to take P1. 

In the final runs it was Leclerc who took top spot, with the Monegasque driver posting a lap of 1:11.229 to finish just under eight hundredths of a second ahead of Norris with Piastri third ahead of Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell. 

At the other end of the order, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto was the first to be eliminated in P16, ahead of Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who will start last due to a 10-place grid penalty for ignoring red flags in FP2. Pierre Gasly qualified in P18 ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the second Alpine of Franco Colapinto, though the Argentinian will move ahead of Stroll due to a one-place penalty for the Canadian.

The red flags came out at the end of the session when Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who squeezed through in 15th, hit the barriers in the Nouvelle Chicane. 

Norris led the way in the first runs of Q2, with the McLaren driver taking P1 on 1:10.959. Verstappen slotted into second place with 0.065s behind, while Leclerc, with Medium tyres on board, took third place two tenths further back. 

However, moments later the red flags were thrown once more. Russell slowed through the hairpin and Portier before grinding to a halt in the tunnel. In the final runs, it was Norris who took control with a lap of 1:10.570, 

Just 0.016s ahead of Leclerc and two tenths ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon. 

Improvements in the final runs for Haas’ Esteban Ocon and Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar meant that Williams’ Carlos Sainz was bumped out of Q3 in P11, while Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda dropped out in P12 ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg and the sidelined Mercedes cars. 

In the opening runs of Q3, it was Norris who set the pace with a lap of 1:10.464, just under seven hundredths of a second ahead of Piastri and Leclerc. 

McLaren opted for two final flying laps and Norris proved unbeatable. The Briton first dropped the provisional pole time to 1:10.125 and though Leclerc briefly moved ahead on 1:10.063, Norris found more time to take pole with a lap of 1:09.954, a new track record. Behind local hero Leclerc, Piastri finished third ahead of Hamilton. Verstappen couldn’t improve on his opening lap and at the end of the session the Dutchman took fifth place ahead of Hadjar, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Ocon, the second Racing Bulls car of Liam Lawson and Albon. 

2025 FIA Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – Qualifying 
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1'09.954 - -
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1'10.063 0.109 0.156
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1'10.129 0.175 0.250
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1'10.382 0.428 0.612
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1'10.669 0.715 1.022
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1'10.923 0.969 1.385
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1'10.924 0.970 1.387
8 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1'10.942 0.988 1.412
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1'11.129 1.175 1.680
10 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1'11.213 1.259 1.800
11 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1'11.362 1.408 2.013
12 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1'11.415 1.461 2.089
13 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1'11.596 1.642 2.347
14 George Russell Mercedes - - -
15 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes - - -
16 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1'11.902 1.948 2.785
17 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1'11.979 2.025 2.895
18 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1'11.994 2.040 2.916
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1'12.563 2.609 3.730
20 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1'12.597 2.643 3.778