Monaco Grand Prix: Raikkonen storms to long-awaited pole, Hamilton to start in 14th
There will be an all-Ferrari front row in the Monaco Grand Prix after Kimi Raikkonen claimed a long-awaited pole ahead of Sebastian Vettel, while Lewis Hamilton will start way back in 14th place.
Raikkonen had gone 128 races without starting at the front of the grid, but the Finn will be on pole for the first time since 2008 on Sunday.
A Circuit de Monaco lap record of one minute 12.178 seconds ensured Raikkonen will be the man to catch, after he was 0.043 secs quicker than championship leader Vettel.
Ferrari have not won on the streets of Monte Carlo since Michael Schumacher took the chequered flag 16 years ago and they will not have a better chance of ending that wait, having been fastest all weekend.
Valtteri Bottas will start in third for Mercedes, but team-mate Hamilton endured a miserable day and will surely not claim back-to-back wins in the famous race after failing to make the final stage of qualifying.
Hamilton, six points adrift of Vettel after winning in Spain last time out, was left shaking his head when McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne crashed into the wall at the exit of Swimming Pool to deny the Brit had one last attempt at making Q3.
The three-time world champion complained of issues with his car and almost crashed at Massenet, but got himself out of trouble before enduring further woes in Q2.
Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will start fourth and fifth respectively, while Jenson Button qualified in ninth in his one-off return, but will be at the back of the grid when the race gets under way to a 15-place penalty for changes made to his McLaren’s power unit.
