MONACO (AP) — Lando Norris beat the Monaco track record, his main Formula 1 rival and a local hero to take pole position on Saturday.
Perhaps most importantly, Norris made a breakthrough in his own struggles with F1 qualifying, which have hampered his championship chances against McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
“It's been a long time coming,” said Norris, who hadn't been on pole since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“I don’t think I’ve ever doubted what I can do. Of course, I’ve got frustrated, I’ve been unhappy, because that’s normal," Norris added. "If you don’t win, if you don’t get pole, you’re not going to be happy, especially when it’s where you should be, it’s what the objective is.”
Norris and Monaco local Charles Leclerc swapped the fastest times before Norris upped the pace again to take first by .109 of a second. Piastri was third.
Norris' time of 1 minute, 9.954 seconds replaced a record set by Lewis Hamilton in 2019.
It comes as Norris tries to cut into Piastri's 13-point standings lead and follows weeks of frustration in qualifying — sometimes from small mistakes, but also a dramatic crash in Saudi Arabia last month. Leclerc, who won the Monaco GP last year, was denied a fourth career pole at his home race.
Leclerc said Monaco’s slow and twisty layout allowed Ferrari to dodge some of the “compromises” it’s had to make with its setup at more varied tracks.
Defending champion Max Verstappen, the winner of the Emilia-Romagna GP last week, was fifth for Red Bull after predicting Monaco’s low-speed nature wouldn’t suit his car, but starts fourth because of a penalty for Lewis Hamilton.
Rule change makes for uncertain race
Qualifying has typically been more important at Monaco than anywhere else on the F1 calendar. It's almost impossible to overtake on the narrow streets so grid position is vital.
It could be a little different this time because drivers will be required to change tires at least twice during the race.
“I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect," Piastri said.
That rule change follows a dull race last year when an early red flag allowed all drivers to make their mandatory pit stop. The race finished with the top 10 all in the same order that they started the race.
Hamilton penalized and Mercedes frustrated
A radio mix-up cost seven-time world champion Hamilton, as he was dropped from fourth to seventh on the grid for getting in Verstappen's way.
In the first part of qualifying, Hamilton was told by the Ferrari team that Verstappen was on a slower lap, when the Dutch driver was actually trying to set a competitive time.
Hamilton was obliged to make way for the faster car, but the miscommunication meant the British driver was in Verstappen's way on the racing line, landing him a three-place grid penalty for impeding.
Until then, Hamilton's fourth place seemed a strong recovery following a crash in practice which required a major rebuild of his Ferrari.
It was a session to forget for Mercedes as its cars caused two red flags.
George Russell is set to start 14th after his car broke down in the tunnel with a suspected electrical problem, causing a lengthy stoppage while it was pushed out of the way by a track marshal crew. His 18-year-old teammate Kimi Antonelli hit the wall and was 15th.
Haas rookie Oliver Bearman qualified 17th but dropped to the back of the grid because of a 10-place penalty imposed on Friday for overtaking under red flags when practice was stopped.
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The Associated Press
