Leclerc with an advantage heading into the first corner? 'Verstappen has little chance'

In Monaco, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari provided a great surprise. The Italians have a car that goes well in the slow corners this season and in Monaco that was very much in evidence. However, on the decisive lap in Q3, things went wrong for the Monegasque and he took pole because Max Verstappen could not finish his lap.

"I think he just lost his concentration. He just hit the guardrail and that's just a basic mistake. Max probably could have achieved pole, there's no doubt about that", acknowledges Peter Windsor in his qualification-review. This season until Monaco was mostly about Mercedes against Red Bull Racing, but Ferrari join the party in Monaco. 

Difficult start for Verstappen

According to Windsor, it's very good that a third team can get into the fray. "It's really great, when you consider where Ferrari were last year and when you look at how the current season is going, with Hamilton going for his eighth title and Max trying to keep up the good form. Now all of a sudden we have Ferrari being the fastest."

Due to Leclerc's crash, Verstappen will have to start from second place. Only if Leclerc gets a grid penalty because of the damage in the crash, Verstappen can start from P1. Now the Dutchman had to abort his fastest lap early. "Max would have been on pole otherwise. They will start from the less clean side of the grid though, so the chances that he will catch Charles there are not very high," Windsor concluded.