F1: Antonelli Takes Monaco Pole After Duel With Verstappen; Bortoleto Beat

June 6, 2026

Championship leader edges Verstappen by just 0.043 seconds in the fight for pole; Audi’s Brazilian advances to Q2 but is knocked out in Q1 and cannot continue in the standings

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix of Formula 1. On Saturday (6), the Mercedes driver clocked 1:12.051 on his final run in Q3, narrowly edging out Max Verstappen by 43 thousandths of a second in one of the most tightly contested qualifying sessions of the season.

Leader of the championship, Antonelli confirmed the favoritism shown in FP3 and secured his top spot on the grid after a decisive lap at the session’s end. Verstappen briefly took provisional pole in the dying seconds, but the Italian found the time in the final sector to reclaim the top position.

Full coverage coming shortly.

Jake Thompson

Jake Thompson

I'm Jake Thompson, a motorsport journalist born and raised in North Carolina, where NASCAR weekends were basically family holidays. I’ve been covering everything from Formula 1 to rally raids for over a decade, blending sharp analysis with a fan’s heart. For me, writing about racing isn’t just a job — it’s the best seat in the house.