Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli is aware that pole position for the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix is “only the first step” towards victory.
Antonelli recovered from a challenging Friday Practice to top FP3 and comfortably found himself in the top three in both Q1 and Q2 before his first Q3 lap put him on provisional pole from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.001 seconds.
The 19 year-old Italian subsequently beat Verstappen to pole by 0.043 seconds with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc locking out the second row, but Antonelli is wary of the challenge that lies ahead that he has three former Monaco GP winners directly behind him.
“To be on pole here means a lot, but at the same time, it’s only the first step. I know who’s around me on the grid, and I’m sure they’ll be putting on the pressure from the very start. The focus now is on getting a strong launch and managing the race from there.”
Antonelli nevertheless was pleased to see Mercedes’ overnight improvements pay off and is happy to have claimed his fourth pole in five races as he continues to head his teammate, George Russell in their title fight.
“Pole position in Monaco is an incredible result. The team did an amazing job to get the car in a good place, particularly with the improvements we made overnight after a difficult Friday. It was such a tight fight out there with so many other cars and drivers that looked capable of taking P1.
“I am delighted to come away with pole therefore and I’m already looking forward to tomorrow.”
Antonelli however found himself three-tenths then two-tenths down on the fastest overall lap times in Q1 and Q2, but was glad that he was able to save his best for Q3.
“Qualifying wasn’t completely straightforward at the start. The car felt a bit on edge but as the session went on, everything started to come together. We made the right adjustments, and I felt much more comfortable with where the car was by the time we got to Q3. That gave me the confidence to really push when it mattered.
“That final segment of the session was extremely tense and you never quite know what to expect. Finding those last few tenths is never easy, especially with Max so close all the way through. It really came down to nailing the lap at the right moment and I’m very pleased we were able to do that.”
Looking ahead to the race, Antonelli is quietly confident that he can deliver victory if he can continue his solid race pace and avoid any potential chaos that Monaco can deliver.
“We’ve shown good pace all weekend, which gives me confidence, but Monaco is always unpredictable. I’ll try to stay calm, make the most of the opportunity, and see what we can achieve tomorrow.”