Leclerc: It should be a tricky but interesting Monaco Grand Prix

Lining up P2 on the grid, on the very street he once walked to school, still gives him a shot at the lead before the end of the first lap. But Leclerc, who has started from pole in Monaco on three occasions, lamented missing out this time by a tenth of a second to Norris.

Reflecting on Qualifying for his home race, Leclerc said: “There’s always something more to be done, but at the end of the day, this was the best we could do. I think the lap was really good. The first lap was a bit of a shame because that gives you a bit more confidence for the second run when you have a good first lap.

“I couldn’t have that – I had sector two traffic. But it’s the way it is. Just obviously very frustrated. We know that we don’t quite have the car to go for wins this year, but this weekend the car felt good, and starting second here, it’s going to be tricky to take that first place.

“I like city tracks in general. I like to really go all-in to qualifying and take maximum risks, and I think this most of the time pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t. 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.”

Looking ahead to Sunday, the Ferrari driver said: “It should be an interesting race tomorrow. There will be strategic games between the teams with the mandatory two-stop, and it’s possible that we will find some cars from further down the grid in the mix.

“It should be exciting and I can’t wait to race on my home streets again,” declared Leclerc, who lies P5 in the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship standings ahead of Round 8 on the streets of Monte Carlo. He won the race last year.

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur summed up: “For the first time this season, we managed to put everything together in qualifying, and doing so here in Monaco makes it even more rewarding. The team did a very good job today and we were competitive right from Q1.

“However, there’s a bit of frustration, as Charles had been quickest in every session, but he still delivered a strong performance and came very close to pole.

“Lewis also did a great job of rebuilding his confidence after this morning’s crash. But unfortunately, he will have to start from seventh. In general, we can say we’ve made good progress compared to previous Saturdays.

“Now we need to focus on the race, where the goal will be to put pressure on McLaren. We’ll focus on ourselves and prepare for tomorrow’s challenge,” added Vasseur.

Ferrari are P4 in the 2025 F1 Constructors’ standings, trailing leaders McLaren by 165 points ahead of Round 8 on Sunday at the Principality. The Reds can boast 16 victories in Monte Carlo.