McLaren's Lando Norris takes pole position for Monaco Grand Prix
– Lando Norris said it has been 'a long time coming' after he put McLaren on pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix on May 24, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc alongside on the front row for his home race.
McLaren's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri qualified third with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fourth and Red Bull's Max Verstappen fifth.
'I feel good. I don't think you realise how good this feels after quite a few struggles in the last few months,' said Norris, who has not won since the opening race of the season in Australia.
'Monaco is a beautiful place. The hardest track to do it and up against the hometown hero. I'm very proud of the whole team. We have worked very hard over the past few months. Very pleased. The team have done an amazing job, so thanks to everyone here and at the factory. These days don't come easy, so I'm proud to give something back to them.'
Leclerc, meanwhile, rued a missed opportunity to clinch pole in front of his home fans after finishing 0.109sec back.
'There's always something more to be done, but at the end of the day, this was the best we could do. Just obviously very frustrated. We know that we don't quite have the car to go for wins this year but this weekend the car felt good, and starting second here, it's going to be tricky to take that first place,' he said.
'I like city tracks in general. I like to really go all-in to qualifying and take maximum risks, and sometimes it doesn't pay it off. On paper it was going to be a very difficult weekend for us. At the end of the day, it's not that bad.'
Behind the top five, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar qualified an impressive sixth, ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Haas' Esteban Ocon, his teammate Liam Lawson and Williams' Alex Albon.
Heading into Monaco, Piastri leads the drivers' standings on 146 points, ahead of Norris (133) and Verstappen (124).
'It was intense. To beat Lando today was going to be tough. Well done to him. But, still pretty happy. It's been a pretty messy weekend so far, so to come out with a lap I thought was good is a decent result,' said the Australian.
'It felt pretty good... We have been doing some digging this weekend. To come out with this result is a decent effort.'
Off the track, Formula One still hopes to return to Africa and is talking to three possible venues, chief executive Stefano Domenicali said, but any race deal looks a long way off.
The continent is the major omission on a record 24-race calendar and last hosted a grand prix at South Africa's Kyalami circuit in 1993. The Liberty Media-owned sport is keen to rectify that but wants a stable venue that can become a fixture for the long-term. Financial issues have also been an obstacle in the past.
'Realistically speaking, I don't think we're going to have an outcome in the very short term,' said Domenicali, who did not name any potential cities or circuits.
Rwanda and South Africa are reportedly the two main candidates, with Kyalami and Cape Town put forward as possibilities for the latter. REUTERS, AFP
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