Kimi Antonelli claimed pole in the Monaco Grand Prix FP3, recording a blistering 1:12.720 on soft tyres and beating the nearest rival by 0.327 seconds.
Fastest laps and tyre performance
The Mercedes rookie’s time made him the only driver to dip below the 1:13 barrier on Saturday, while Charles Leclerc posted 1:13.047 and Lewis Hamilton was a mere 0.004 seconds slower at 1:13.051. George Russell briefly broke the 1:14 mark with a 1:13.902 before Leclerc answered with 1:13.748, prompting a rapid exchange of sector times between Mercedes and Ferrari throughout the session.
Earlier on, the opening thirty minutes saw Ferrari dominate the early runs, with Leclerc initially posting 1:15.184 and Hamilton close behind. Lando Norris briefly upset the Italian pair with a 1:15.169 before his car was stopped on track, leading to a €30,000 fine and a curfew breach as engineers worked on the MCL40’s electrical systems.
Incidents and session disruptions
Two yellow flags interrupted the flow: a brief slowdown after Alpine’s Franco Colapinto spun at the hairpin, and a longer stoppage when Haas youngster Oliver Bearman crashed at Massenet, triggering a red flag and forcing all drivers except the wrecked car back onto the track.
The final minutes turned chaotic as the pack surged into the last chicane, prompting on‑track complaints between Norris and Hamilton. Despite the traffic, Antonelli cemented his lead with the 1:12.720 lap, while Russell settled for fourth and Max Verstappen rounded out the top five with 1:13.662.
Top‑ten results from FP3
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:12.720 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:13.047 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:13.051 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:13.483 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:13.662 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:13.698 |
| 7 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:13.820 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:13.877 |
| 9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:14.006 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:14.050 |
With Antonelli’s record‑low lap setting the benchmark, the next qualifying round promises a tightly contested showdown among Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull at the iconic streets of Monte Carlo.
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