Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Qualifying at the F1 2025 Monaco GP from Monte Carlo as teams and drivers prepare to fight for Formula 1 pole position at the most iconic circuit in F1 history.
Charles Leclerc secured a clean sweep of practice sessions for the 2025 Monaco GP after setting the fastest time in FP3, underscoring Ferrari‘s promising pace around the challenging Monte Carlo streets. Leclerc’s pace has certainly marked him as the favourite for pole position at his home race. Yet with uncertainties surrounding tyre strategy and Hamilton’s participation now under question, the battle on Monaco’s unforgiving streets is far from decided.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Monaco GP live updates for Qualifying will offer fans unparalleled insight into team strategies, reliability concerns, and potential frontrunners in the fight for pole. So stay tuned with us as Qualifying at the F1 2025 Monaco GP unfolds live from the Principality.
F1 Monaco GP 2025 Qualifying LIVE: Latest Updates
READ: Your report as Norris silences Monaco
In a breathtaking conclusion to the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session, Lando Norris clinched pole position with a remarkable final lap, clocking in at 1:09.954.
This effort edged out local favourite Charles Leclerc by a mere 0.109 seconds, thwarting the Monegasque’s bid for a home pole.
McLaren’s dominance was further solidified with Oscar Piastri securing third place, marking a significant achievement for the team on the challenging streets of Monte Carlo.
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READ: Your results from qualifying at the F1 2025 Monaco GP
It’s Lando Norris on pole from Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri at the Circuit de Monaco, but how did everyone else finish up following Saturday’s effort?
Check out the results from qualifying at the F1 2025 Monaco GP below, brought to you by Total-Motorsport.com.
Norris reacts to first ever Monaco GP pole
Lando Norris is back on pole and it couldn’t come at as he bags top spot at the F1 2025 Monaco GP ahead of Charles Leclerc, who had been rapid throughout Free Practice 1, 2 and 3.
It’s a big moment in his season, one that could give him his confidence back. Has he finally solved how to drive this MCL39 McLaren package?
Either way, he is buzzing with the result and the relief of securing the pole after his recent poor form.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Norris told F1 Tv of his first pole since Australia. “I feel good. I don’t think you realise how good this feels after quite a few struggles in the last few months.
“Monaco is a beautiful place. The hardest track to do it and up against the hometown hero
“I’m very proud of the whole team. We have worked very hard over the past few months. Very pleased.”
Leclerc proud but frustrated in Monaco
Charles Leclerc thought he had a fourth career pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix but cruelly had it taken away at the last when he was beaten to the punch by Lando Norris.
The home hero has been in fine form this weekend, but bemoans traffic in Sector 2 getting in his way. However, he’s still proud of his team as he lines up second on Sunday.
“There’s always something more to be done,” Leclerc told F1 TV. “But at the end of the day, this was the best we could do.
“I had sector two traffic. But it’s the way it is. Just obviously very frustrated.”
He added: “I’m proud of the result we’ve had today, as on paper it was going to be a very difficult weekend for us. At the end of the day, it’s not that bad.”
Piastri congratulates title rival for landing pole
Oscar Piastri has arguably been the most impressive driver of the season when it comes to his form on Saturdays but this time he’s been beaten by his teammate and title rival once again.
However, there’s no hang ups from the Australian as he sends his congratulations to Lando Norris ahead of Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix and takes the blame for his own effort.
“It was intense. Quite reminiscent of last year,” Piastri told F1 TV. “My first lap felt good then my second lap I made a mistake at the Nouvelle Chicane and left a little bit on there.
“To beat Lando today was going to be tough. Well done to him. But, still pretty happy. It’s been a pretty messy weekend so far, so to come out with a lap I thought was good is a decent result.
“I think I’ve hit my walls this weekend then I have in my whole career! It’s been untidy.”
LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE FOR THE MONACO GRAND PRIX
Lando Norris saves his best right until the very last to break Charles Leclerc’s heart at the Monaco Grand Prix by improving on the last run to snatch pole away by just 0.109 for McLaren.
Leclerc had put in a great lap but McLaren’s plan to go for two laps worked a treat for the Brit, who is back on pole for the first time since the season opener in Australia with a new track record too.
“All good – thank you guys,” Norris says over the radio.
The Top 10: POLE: Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hadjar, Alonso, Ocon, Lawson and Albon.
Hamilton on a fresh set
Could Lewis Hamilton make an impression on a set of new soft tyres? The Brit was half a second down after his first run, but he was on a used set of tyres. He should take a step forwards.
Let’s see how it goes for them all, they’re heading out onto the track now. Who will take pole for the Monaco Grand Prix?
One more shot at pole coming up
Both McLarens are coming out for their second laps very early in Monaco, they and Alex Albon will be out of sequence with the rest.
They’ll get a clean lap on the board and will avoid red and yellow flags, but might not ebenfit from the maximum track evolution.
Let’s see how this goes.
Seven minutes to go: Advantage McLaren
Max Verstappen gets his Red Bull up to fourth, it’s the advantage for McLaren based on the first runs as Lando Norris leads the way.
Then comes Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar in the Top 10.
Do we have five drivers fighting for pole?
Eight minutes to go: Norris takes over at the top
Lando Norris beats his McLaren teammate by just 0.067 as Oscar Piastri slots into second in Monaco.
Then comes Charles Leclerc for Ferrari, 0.189 back, as Lewis Hamilton goes fourth on a used set of tyres.
10 minutes to go: First laps are due up
Max Verstappen is taking his time in Monaco before leaving the garage, perhaps looking for an optimal gap to slot into or simply sitting out the first run.
All the same, the laps are finally arriving as Oscar Piastri heads out onto the track with the purple Sector 1.
Q3 begins: Who will take pole position in Monaco?
Eight cars are wasting no time getting out on track as the green light comes on at the end of the pit lane and Alex Albon leads the pack away for Williams.
These 12 minutes are vital for the rest of the weekend picture, so who will take pole in Monaco at the hardest track to overtake at in the entire year?
Who are the underdogs in Q3?
Hats off to Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson who all manage to make it through to Q3 at the 2025 Monaco GP.
That’s a great effort from all three and a rare shot at getting higher up the grid from the trio. What can they do next?
OUT IN Q2: Antonelli (15th), Russell, Hulkenberg, Tsunoda and Sainz.
OUT IN Q2: Sainz and Tsunoda exit with Mercedes
That’s a big Q2 session for the context of this Monaco Grand Prix weekend as two of the better cars, Red Bull and Williams, head for early baths along with both Mercedes challengers.
Carlos Sainz can’t get a time on the board for Williams and is out in 11th, whilst Yuki Tsunoda for Red Bull is 12th. Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber joins them and George Russell and Kimi Antonelli too.
Tsunoda blames Isack Hadjar for ruining his lap, potentially being impeded somewhere around the Circuit de Monaco but we’re yet to see it.
OUT IN Q2: Antonelli (15th), Russell, Hulkenberg, Tsunoda and Sainz.
Two minutes to go: Verstappen goes third
Max Verstappen is not leaving a lot of time on the table for Red Bull, running his RB21 right up close to the wall and risking crashing.
It earns him the honour of going third quickest behind Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, but ahead of Lewis Hamilton. He’s 0.305 off the pace.
Is there more to come or is that all he has?
Five minutes to go: Norris to the top, who is in danger?
Lando Norris pops in a 1:10.570 to go top of the times for McLaren, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
But eyes now turn to the bottom. Who are the three drivers in danger of going out so far?
Currently it’s Esteban Ocon for Haas in 13th, then Nico Hulkenberg for Sauber and Isack Hadjar for Racing Bulls.
Remember, both Mercedes cars are out of the session. George Russell had a power unit failure and Kimi Antonelli crashed, despite qualifying for Q2 by being 15th.
Seven minutes to go: Fast laps begin
Lewis Hamilton begins his fast lap at the Circuit de Monaco with all 13 drivers out on track looking to improve.
The Brit is currently ninth and 1.164 off the pace, but is on the soft tyres.
He should improve and he does! The Ferrari racer puts in a 1:10.883 to go second behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc.
Session resumes: Ferrari with a lot of urgency
The session is ready to resume and the Ferrari cars are immediately into the queue as they look for track position, joined by the sole remaining Haas of Esteban Ocon and Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg.
This could be a very busy 10 minutes with lots of drivers needing to improve their laps. Who will make it through to the hunt for pole position in Monaco?
Red Flag: Who is at risk?
The clock has officially stopped with 10 minutes and eight seconds left with that red flag, with Lando Norris at the top of the times for McLaren with a 1:10.959 on the softs.
With both Mercedes out in 14th and 15th, there are fewer elimination spots left. The first one is occupied by Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren, then Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas’ Esteban Ocon.
Three elimination spots left
With Kimi Antonelli and George Russell out of the qualifying session for Mercedes, that means there are just three elimination spots left and two additional spots, effectively, up for grabs in Q3!
Who will make it? It could be a chance for some big points for the likes of Aston Martin, Haas and Sauber.
RED FLAG: 10 minutes to go: George Russell loses power!
George Russell has stopped on track in the tunnel and he is out of qualifying at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix!
That’s a disaster for Mercedes, who will start 14th and 15th on the grid in Monte Carlo at a track that’s basically impossible to overtake at.
It’s going to be a miserable weekend for Toto Wolff’s team.
Q2 begins: Antonelli not involved
After a delay to fix the crash barriers following Kimi Antonelli’s accident at the Nouvelle Chicane, Q2 is finally underway.
With the Mercedes out of action, there’s effectively just four elimination spots to avoid bagging. Who will make it through to the hunt for pole?
Out in Q1: Colapinto (20th), Stroll, Gasly, Bearman and Bortoleto.
OUT IN Q1: Hamilton survives scare
Lewis Hamilton finds the time at the very end to go sixth-fastest overall and book his place into the next stage of qualifying in Monaco.
However, not everyone enjoyed the same amount of pace around this Monte Carlo circuit.
OUT in Q1: Colapinto (20th), Stroll, Gasly, Bearman and Bortoleto are eliminated.
Colapinto will start 18th after grid-drop penalties are applied to Stroll and Bearman, the latter starting last.
RED FLAG: Antonelli hits the wall
Kimi Antonelli has hit the wall at the Nouvelle Chicane and finds himself out of qualifying, although he will make it through to Q2 in 15th.
That forces every driver behind him to back off due to the double-waved yellows and that’s his afternoon over.
Two minutes to go: Verstappen-Hamilton noted for impeding
Lewis Hamilton may have now got in the way of Max Verstappen in Monaco.
Nothing from race control just yet, however.
The Ferrari needs a lap time, he’s close to shocking Q1 exit if he can’t put it together.
Three minutes to go: Piastri tags the wall
Oscar Piastri goes to the top of the timing board but tells his race engineer he tagged the wall as he calls for them to inspect the damage.
His time is then beaten by Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, who goes quickest with a 1:11.229.
Five minutes to go: Who is in trouble?
With five minutes to go, some drivers need to find extra lap time or they will be watching the rest of the session on from the sidelines in Monte Carlo.
The bottom five as things stand are Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Lance Stroll.
They have a handful of laps left to save their weekend, essentially.
Six minutes to go: Stroll-Gasly noted for impeding
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly have been noted for an impeding incident. The Canadian was well in the way of the Alpine, who had to take evasive action.
Stroll says he thought Charles Leclerc was Gasly because of the sun, but that might not wash with the stewards.
He already has a one-place grid-drop for a similar incident on Friday.
Nine minutes to go: Max Verstappen goes to the top for a brief moment
Max Verstappen puts in a 1:11.920 to go to the top of the times ahead of Charles Leclerc, before Lando Norris quickly ends the Red Bull’s stint at the summit.
The Brit clears the Dutchman by 0.324 before Oscar Piastri then slots into second place. The McLaren cars have finally turned up in Monaco.
11 minutes to go: Ferrari 1-2
Lewis Hamilton now joins Charles Leclerc at the top of the times, slotting into second. He’s 0.245 down on his teammate’s 1:12.091.
Ferrari are, once again, looking good in Monte Carlo.
13 minutes to go: Leclerc heads to the top of the timing sheets
Charles Leclerc puts in a 1:13.063 in Monte Carlo to beat Alex Albon and go fastest overall with a few minutes gone in this session.
Max Verstappen is heading out of the pits now and most of the grid are using the softs. Only the Alpine are on mediums at the moment.
15 minutes to go: Alpine on the medium tyres
There is a debate about whether the soft tyres are better for a qualifying lap than the mediums, but the mediums performed very well at the F1 2025 Monaco GP through Free Practice 3.
That’s why both Alpines take the yellow-walled tyre, which means they can go for consecutive runs and utilise the longer life of the compound compared to the softs.
Gasly goes third-fastest on his first push run.
GREEN FLAG: Qualifying begins in Monaco
It’s time to go for the best part of the weekend as the cars head out onto the track in Monte Carlo, with Alex Albon heading a train.
Charles Leclerc is the favourite for pole, but can the McLarens fight back at the Circuit de Monaco?
Drivers have 18 minutes to get their best times on board, which sounds easy, but with lots of traffic racers could soon be under pressure.
Lewis Hamilton will take part
Lewis Hamilton found himself into the wall at the end of FP3 early on Saturday, but fortunately for the seven-time world champion, Ferrari have patched up his SF-25 and he’s good to go.
He has displayed solid pace, although not quite on the same level as his teammate, Charles Leclerc. Can he take a surprise pole or has his confidence suffered in Monte Carlo?
Ferrari have changed his gearbox as a precaution.
Welcome to the blog for qualifying at the 2025 Monaco GP!
Will Charles Leclerc continue his fine form in Monte Carlo by taking an impressive pole position around his home track at the 2025 Monaco GP?
He will need to fend off challenges from the likes of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in order to do so.
However, he’s regarded as one of the best qualifiers on the grid for a reason so if anyone can hustle a Formula 1 car around the Circuit de Monaco, it’s certainly him. He was on pole here in 2021, 2022 and 2024 for Ferrari.
Where to Watch 2025 Monaco GP Qualifying?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Monaco GP Qualifying will be shown on ESPN, with streaming coverage via ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Monaco GP Qualifying are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is Qualifying at the 2025 Monaco GP?
Qualifying for the 2025 Monaco GP begins at 4:00pm local time on Saturday in Monte Carlo. That means a similar start for F1 fans in the UK, where the session begins at 3:00pm on Saturday afternoon.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Monaco GP Qualifying session from Monte Carlo begins at 10:00am ET on Saturday morning, which means an early morning 7:00am PT start for those on the West Coast.
