It was a crazy Saturday in Monte Carlo, as Charles Leclerc took pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix despite ending the qualifying session in the barriers.
The Monegasque driver is competing in his home grand prix for the third time, and his Ferrari car showed surprisingly good speed throughout the weekend's practice sessions. Ferrari had a torrid 2020, with only three podium finishes, and despite a turnaround in form this year nobody was expecting them to be the frontrunners arriving in Monaco.
The Monaco circuit is next to impossible to overtake on, so qualifying is of utmost importance. The session was suitably chaotic from the outset, with drivers queuing up to get a clear space of track, and the timing sheets changing every few seconds.
Brutal traffic for Perez 😱#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/44f9C8k3dM
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 22, 2021
The final session of qualifying put the ten fastest drivers on track for a frantic 12 minutes, as they vied to set the fastest lap time. Red Bull's championship contender Max Verstappen set the early pace, before a pristine lap from Leclerc put him on provisional pole.
Jump onboard with @Charles_Leclerc for the lap that put him on pole for his home Grand Prix 🎥#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 @pirellisport pic.twitter.com/Sa1YjPBINO
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 22, 2021
Lewis Hamilton was out of sorts on Saturday, and he tagged the barriers on his second run, leaving him sat in seventh place as he prepared to go for one final lap. Verstappen was on a fast lap and looked set to topple Leclerc's top spot, when disaster struck with just 20 seconds remaining.
The Ferrari man clipped the inside wall at the swimming pool chicane and flew over the kerbs and towards a heavy impact with the barrier on the other side of the track. The impact was enough to destroy the front and rear suspension on the car, and the red flags flew to signal an immediate end to the session.
Not how Charles Leclerc would have expected to take his eighth pole position 😱#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/1Dq2Sg4Y7Q
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 22, 2021
It was a strange end to a crazy session, with Leclerc in effect sealing pole position with the crash, which prevented any of his rivals from improving their times. Verstappen made his frustration crystal clear, with an expletive-laden rant down the team radio to his race engineer.
When you're on a mega lap...
And you KNOW it's a mega lap...
A red flag is hard to take 😩 You can count on Max to go full send on Sunday! 🚀#MonacoGP 🇲🇨 #F1 pic.twitter.com/LZ0c4YhYw5— Formula 1 (@F1) May 22, 2021
His team boss Christian Horner made an excellent point - Leclerc may still be in trouble. Certain car repairs carry a grid-place penalty, and it's still unclear how badly damaged the Ferrari car is after the heavy impact. Second-placed Verstappen will be watching with keen interest in the hope of a penalty for Leclerc.
It was a strangely poor performance for Verstappen's title rival Lewis Hamilton, who ended the day in seventh place, behind the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly and just ahead of his old rival Sebastian Vettel. Regardless of missing out on pole, Verstappen will see a huge chance to catch up to Hamilton in the championship.
Charles Leclerc took his eighth Formula One pole position in his home race - though we imagine he might have seen the day going slightly differently to how it ultimately did.
SEE ALSO: Balls Remembers: When An Irishman Nearly Won The 1982 Monaco Grand Prix
