Mercedes and Red Bull's Turnaround
By FP3 it had become clear that Mercedes and Red Bull had made significant overnight gains, particularly in their ability to attack Monaco's kerbs with confidence. Higher air and track temperatures during qualifying shifted the balance once again, but Mercedes appeared to hold the stronger overall package.
That makes Max Verstappen's pole lap even more impressive. The Red Bull looked short of grip compared to the Mercedes, yet Verstappen extracted everything from the car, particularly in the final sector where he left virtually nothing on the table.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was equally impressive. Under immense pressure in Q3, the young Italian attacked relentlessly, sliding all four wheels through parts of Sector 1 while staying just centimeters from the barriers.
Charles Leclerc was forced to push to the absolute limit on every lap, and mistakes inevitably crept in.
The biggest surprise remains George Russell. At the moment, he appears to have no answer to Antonelli's pace. Kimi looks completely at one with the Mercedes, while Russell is still searching for the confidence and balance his teammate has already found.
The stage is now set for a fascinating Monaco Grand Prix: Verstappen versus Antonelli into Turn 1, two fast-starting Ferraris on the second row, powerful undercuts, Safety Cars, and endless strategic questions.
It's Monaco.
Strategic options
Monaco is all about track position. Overtaking is extremely difficult and often involves huge strategic risks.
Recent races have offered little guidance. The 2025 Grand Prix was shaped by the mandatory two-stop rule, the 2024 race was disrupted by a Lap 1 red flag, and both 2022 and 2023 were affected by rain.
Pirelli expects Soft → Medium to be the preferred strategy, but Monaco's powerful undercut means pit-stop timing can be crucial. Teams will also be watching closely for a VSC, Safety Car, or red flag, any of which can dramatically reshape the race.
For the leaders, the goal is simple: stay in clean air and avoid traffic. In Monaco, position is everything.
Race pace
Ferrari topped Friday's long-run pace, with Mercedes and Red Bull less than a tenth of a second behind. McLaren were the biggest surprise, averaging almost half a second per lap slower than the benchmark.
Team | Pace |
|---|---|
Ferrari | + 0.00 sec. (0.00%) |
Mercedes | + 0.05 sec. (0.07%) |
Red Bull | + 0.10 sec. (0.13%) |
McLaren | + 0.49 sec. (0.66%) |
Audi | + 0.96 sec. (1.29%) |
Haas | + 1.04 sec. (1.40%) |
Alpine | + 1.07 sec. (1.44%) |
Williams | + 1.44 sec. (1.94%) |
Racing Bulls | + 1.46 sec. (1.96%) |
Cadillac | + 2.00 sec. (2.70%) |
Aston Martin | + 2.33 sec. (3.15%) |
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