Ricciardo: Let’s finish the job tomorrow. I’m pumped!

The Australian, in blistering form since leading the way in Thursday practice around the streets of the tiny Mediterranean principality, made sure of the top slot for his team’s 250th race start with a record qualifying lap of 1:10.810 seconds.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, last year’s race winner in a Ferrari one-two, joined his former Red Bull teammate on the front row with world championship leader Lewis Hamilton lining up third for Mercedes.

Neither man could match the Australian’s pace on the hypersoft tyres, with Vettel 0.229 seconds slower, while the Australian's teammate was forced to sit out qualifying after crashing heavily in FP3 earlier in the day. His crew unable to get the RB14 ready in time for Q1.

After claiming his second Monaco pole, Ricciardo beamed when he told reporters, “We sent a statement on Thursday and have been quickest every session. Just the race tomorrow and then we will celebrate. I have done everything I can so far, so let’s finish the job tomorrow. I’m pumped!”

"I’m pretty delighted, but I will be even more delighted if I’m on the top step tomorrow. I’m trying to keep things pretty chilled now but I’ve done everything I need to do up until this point, so I’m pleased with that and everything the team have done."

"At the moment I feel like I have done half the job I came here to do, so we will try and finish it tomorrow and I’ve made life easier by putting myself on pole. I just kept building up and putting the laps together and then in Q3 it was very important to maximise everything at the right time and I was able to do that."

"I had confidence in the car which started on Thursday and then it was about finding the rhythm, which is very important around here. I knew the car would be strong and it’s great to get the best out of it. Everyone came into the weekend saying that we were favourites and I thought they were trying to take some pressure off themselves but I thought, let’s prove them right!"

"It’s one extreme to the other for the team today, with Max not making the session, but that’s Monaco and it pushes you. Finding the balance even with a good car, still isn’t easy. I think if we are smart and do the race we know we can do tomorrow, then we are in with a good chance for the win," concluded the Australian.