Monaco Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc will start from pole position, confirms Ferrari

QUAI ANTOINE: Formula One driver Charles Leclerc will begin the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position, Ferrari confirmed on Sunday ahead of the race. Leclerc on Saturday took a sensational pole position in the Monaco Grand Prix despite crashing on his final lap.

"Following further in depth checks this morning, no apparent defects were found on @Charles_Leclerc's gearbox, therefore the Monegasque driver will start today's race from pole position, as per the qualifying result," Ferrari said in a statement on Twitter.

On Saturday, the Monegasque put together the fastest lap of the weekend with his first run in Q3 but pushed a little too hard on his second run, clipping the Armco as he turned into the chicane, which broke his front suspension sending him across the kerb and into the barrier on the other side.

That incident brought out the red flag with less than a minute to go, ending the session prematurely and preventing anyone - including Max Verstappen who was purple in sector one - from completing their final lap.

As a result, Leclerc held onto the pole, Ferrari's first since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix, making him the first Monegasque on pole in Monaco since Louis Chiron (whom Leclerc's helmet for this weekend is dedicated to) in 1936. This was an eight-pole position for Leclerc and was his first at his home.

Reigning world champion and championship leader Lewis Hamilton ended up down in seventh, starting outside the top six for the first time since the 2018 German Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz, who was one of the drivers who had to abort following his teammate's crash, was fourth - his highest grid slot in the Principality.