Max Verstappen streak snapped as Charles Leclerc claims Monaco pole

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc won the pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday, snapping Max Verstappen's streak of eight consecutive poles.

Leclerc outpaced McLaren's Oscar Piastri in qualifying by 0.154 seconds. Verstappen, of Red Bull, will start sixth after an incident rounding the first corner on his final run meant he had to end the run.

The 26-year-old Leclerc is a native of Monaco, and this is his third pole in the four years there. Now, he wants to translate his top starting spot to a top finish in Sunday's race.

"It was nice. The feeling after a qualifying lap is always very special here. Really, really happy about the lap, the excitement is so high but it feels really good," he said.

"But now I know more often than not in the past qualifying is not everything. As much as it counts, we need to put everything together coming the Sunday, and in the past years we did not manage to do it, but we are a stronger team now and I am sure we can achieve the target."

CHARLES LECLERC TAKE POLE IN MONACO!!! ??

And the crowd goes wild!! ??#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/T5ThjXt2H3

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 25, 2024

Starting third on the grid is Carlos Sainz, Leclerc's Ferrari teammate, with Lando Norris of McLaren fourth. Mercedes' George Hamilton will start fifth, with his teammate, Louis Hamilton, seventh.

Verstappen remains tied at eight consecutive poles with Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian racer who achieved the mark across the end of the 1988 and start of 1989 seasons.

Senna died May 1, 1994, following an on-track crash at the San Marino Grand Prix. He was 34.

--Field Level Media