The 2024 F1 Monaco GP qualifying saw Charles Leclerc break Max Verstappen's streak of eight consecutive pole positions. The home favorite tried an alternative approach of being more controlled in Q1 and Q2. In Q3, he reeled off an impressive lap that helped him beat Oscar Piastri to the pole.
In P3, we will have Carlos Sainz, who will be trying to be the rear-gunner for Leclerc at the F1 Monaco GP. In P4, we have Lando Norris, while in P5, we have George Russell.
Max Verstappen had his worst qualifying session of the season, as the driver hit the wall on his final lap and could not continue. He will start the race in P6, ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
With the grid for the 2024 F1 Monaco GP set, let's take a look at what we have learned:
2024 F1 Monaco GP Qualifying: Key takeaways
#1 This is the new Charles Leclerc
This was not the Charles Leclerc who was going full throttle from Q1 to Q3 and obliterating the field with every lap he did. This was a measured driver who understood the dangers of going overboard early in the session and paying a big penalty by hitting the walls.
Until Q3, Leclerc operated at 90% of what he could do. Then, during Q3, he just pulled the plug and climbed to the top. The assured and measured nature of the driver shows a level of maturity that wasn't a part of his repertoire earlier. This is the new Charles Leclerc, and he's only 48 points behind Max Verstappen in the championship.
#2 Damage limitation for Max Verstappen, but how much?
Max Verstappen has kept a calm approach this weekend, even though he's been aware that the car is not in the window. The mistake where he hit the wall has possibly cost him a shot at the podium for the F1 Monaco GP. The weekend is all about damage limitation for Verstappen where he loses the least possible points.
The Dutchman starts the race in P6, while his closest challenger starts the race on pole. Unless he makes a sizeable jump in the race, he's losing a decent amount of points. That should increase the pressure on the driver, especially when the championship is concerned.
#3 Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, and Daniel Ricciardo have questions to answer
Lewis Hamilton is now 1-7 in qualifying against George Russell, and so is Daniel Ricciardo against his teammate. Sergio Perez has not even come close to getting one over Max Verstappen. There aren't many 'driver circuits' that come close to Monaco and the fact that these drivers have found it this hard to keep up should be alarming.
We're almost done with the 33% of the season. If after so long, the gap between the two drivers is this big, it's a serious cause for concern.
#4 Williams should be happy with the result
When rumors surfaced of Carlos Sainz being one of the frontrunners for a seat at Williams, it surprised a lot of people. A driver moving from Ferrari to the fallen giant of F1 was a big fall.
For the F1 Monaco GP, Williams will start the race in the top 10 and could very well score points. This might make Sainz's decision a tad easier if the team continues to show this level of performance.
#5 Oscar Piastri has sent out an important reminder
The last couple of races saw the young Australian get completely overshadowed by Lando Norris. While Norris was fighting for the win in the last two races, Piastri was a tad unlucky and hence if we look at the points table, we see a major gulf between the two drivers.
Coming into the F1 Monaco GP, once again, all eyes were on Norris. It was at this time that Piastri turned things around and almost got pole position. Many were starting to overlook what Piastri could do in an F1 car. This should serve as an important reminder.