AllRacing

Monaco – a qualifying session unrivaled

In a 24-race season, events need to have something unique that sets them apart from the others on the calendar.

Night races, street tracks, high speed historic venues – it’s not quite the IndyCar road, street and oval combination, but there is a huge amount of variety. The Monaco Grand Prix will always be special for what it provides prior to the actual race.

I’m not talking about parties on yachts or visits to the famous casino, but the mere sight of cars on such an crazy circuit, even in a practice session. The knowledge that there is likely to be someone who makes a mistake and ends up in the wall makes for compelling viewing on its own, but the skill of the drivers adds to the impression the place leaves.

And then you get to the main event – qualifying.

I know, there’s a strong argument to be made that a race should not be secondary to the method of setting the grid order, but there really is nothing like Saturday at Monaco. It’s always been the most important qualifying session of the year, because if you start on pole position – or in other cases simply higher than your car’s true race pace – then you know all you need is one good launch off the line, a clean pit stop and 95 percent of the job is done. The other five percent for a driver is down to maintaining their focus, because they can drive well within themselves and not lose track position.

Better keep up – polesitter Lando Norris sure did, but only right at the very last second. Sam Bagnall/Getty Images

That knowledge of a Sunday moves drivers to push right up to and sometimes beyond their own limits in qualifying in order to try and maximize that grid slot.

Monaco, this weekend, already served up exactly what makes it so good, with a thrilling qualifying session that saw pole position up for grabs until the final laps, incidents and surprise eliminations.

Mercedes will be rueing the way things panned out after seeing Kimi Antonelli crash and end up 15th, and then George Russell suffer a reliability issue and drop out just one place ahead of his teammate. But those moments can happen to anybody, and they carry so much more weight when track position is everything.

It’s that jeopardy that makes the good results all the sweeter, because teams and drivers know how easily it could all go wrong. Even the most experienced driver on the grid still feels the tension.

“Always in Monaco, Saturday is the most interesting part of the weekend,” Fernando Alonso said after qualifying in the top 10. “We know that Sunday is a bit more boring. Maybe now with the two stops there are possibilities tomorrow, but normally Saturday here is very special, or the most special Saturday of the year.

“I really enjoyed it, trying to push a little bit more in each session. Especially Q1 was very stressful with the traffic. We were outside the top 15 until the very last lap, so a lot of stress, but it tasted good.”

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen might have qualified ahead of Alonso, but he was less satisfied with Red Bull’s competitiveness. That’s another thing about Monaco – it can be a leveler as certain cars that are usually quick are less strong. For all of his dominant spells and years with a front-running car, Verstappen has “only” two victories here, after all.

Monaco’s tight confines bit a few drivers so far, but not Verstappen. Maybe he didn’t get close enough… Clive Rose/Getty Images

Before he ended up fourth on the grid, he admitted the challenge Monaco provides makes for increased satisfaction when things go well, but also a sense of relief when the race is over.

“I think it’s just how difficult the track is to master in qualifying, to get the most out of it,” Verstappen said. “Also knowing that overtaking is difficult on a Sunday, qualifying is even more important.

“[Monaco] is incredibly narrow, challenging, bumpy. The history, of course, of Monaco in general – this is one of these races that you really want to win. It is very special to be racing here. It’s pretty insane, to be honest, but once you stand on the top step on the podium, it’s something where you’re like, ‘That was a great weekend.’ You’re like, ‘Done!’”

Verstappen might have harbored ambitions of standing on that top step again after Friday’s running, and maybe he still could depending on how the race pans out, but he was not a factor for pole position come Saturday afternoon.

Instead, the honor of fighting for that went to the McLaren drivers and Charles Leclerc, and it was too close to call right up until the point that each crossed the line.

The way the weekend builds through each practice session, and you see the confidence of drivers ebb and flow as they look to push the limits that little bit more, is unique to Monaco. Qualifying comes around and they start to show their respective hands, leaving less and less margin with each run.

Advance through Q1. Breathe out. Successfully navigate Q2. Exhale. Lay it all on the line in Q3, and wait.

“Are they improving?” Leclerc asked after setting provisional pole with his final lap, but with the McLarens behind him.

“Norris is. Norris close to your time,” came the reply, as Oscar Piastri failed to beat him. “NOOOOOOOO!” Leclerc exclaimed, with expletives following as he was told he’d been usurped and will start from second place.

The crescendo as each car flashed across the line, knowing that the final lap time can be so defining when it comes to their result on Sunday, was special. If the mandatory two pit stops don’t lead to a more exciting race, they certainly won’t have detracted from what makes Monaco, Monaco.