Ricciardo 0.229s ahead of Vettel, Hamilton only third; Verstappen to start last
Tuesday 11 December 2018 12:09, UK
Daniel Ricciardo claimed a sensational pole position at the Monaco GP, outpacing Sebastian Vettel by two tenths of a second as Ferrari and Mercedes had no answer for a resurgent Red Bull.
Ricciardo, on top of every practice session, posted a stonking track record of 1:10.810 on his first flying lap in Q3, and even an improving Vettel couldn't knock his former team-mate off top spot with his final effort.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton had to settle for third in F1's most important qualifying of the season as, struggling for balance in an under-performing Mercedes, he finished almost half a second off Ricciardo.
"50 per cent done, let's do this **** tomorrow," roared a pumped-up Australian, while Sky F1's Martin Brundle described his lap, on the hypersoft tyre, as "perfect" and like "poetry in motion".
But though Ricciardo sealed his second-ever F1 pole, his and Red Bull's first since the 2016 Monaco GP, his team-mate will start Sunday's race at the back of the grid after suffering a gearbox issue ahead of the shootout.
Red Bull were already repairing Max Verstappen's car from his Practice Three crash when they noticed the problem, which meant the Dutchman didn't get out on track in qualifying.
"It feels a little bittersweet," admitted Red Bull boss Christian Horner to Sky F1. "It's frustrating with such a fast car not to have both cars on the front row."
Hamilton will be joined on the second row by Kimi Raikkonen in the sister Ferrari, while Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas was fifth and six tenths off the pace.
At F1's most pivotal qualifying session of the season:
* Ricciardo was fastest through Q1, Q2 and Q3, though Ferrari did gain on Red Bull towards the end of the session
* He didn't improve on his final lap, which still would have been good enough for pole, but was four tenths clear of the field after the first runs
* Mercedes attempted a Q2 lap on ultrasofts so they could start the race on that tyre, but couldn't post a quick enough time
* Esteban Ocon was 'best of the rest' in sixth for an impressive Force India, with Sergio Perez also in the top 10
* Fernando Alonso got his McLaren into Q3 for the second race in a row, maintaining his 100 per cent qualifying record over team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne
*Pierre Gasly also found himself in the top-10, while Charles Leclerc made it through to Q2 in his Sauber for the third grand prix in a row
* But Leclerc caused yellow flags in Q1 and spoiled many drivers' laps, with Brendon Hartley and Kevin Magnussen both surprise early exits
Unfinished business for Ricciardo
It's safe to say Ricciardo enjoys the iconic narrow streets of Monaco, the scene of his only F1 pole positions.
But the 2016 event still frustrates the Australian, who was in control of the race before a botched Red Bull pit-stop cost him a maiden Monte Carlo victory.
"There is still a lot of fire in this belly," insisted Ricciardo. "I've done everything I can so far, let's finish the job tomorrow. I'm pumped."
But while pole position is so crucial on such a tight track, Ricciardo has no safety net in Verstappen - whose error through the swimming pool chicane in P3 saw him shunt into two barriers.
It was his fifth Monaco crash in just four entries.
That leaves Ricciardo open to attack from two multi world champions and multi Monaco winners in Vettel and Hamilton, who both admitted they could not threaten Red Bull in qualifying.
"I'm going for the win tomorrow," Hamilton told Sky F1. "Somehow, someway, I'm going to try to switch places with them."
Who's leading the midfield?
Alonso may have dragged his McLaren into Q3 once again, beating Carlos Sainz in the Renault, but the real stars of the show were Force India.
The team weren't expecting much at such a chassis-dependent circuit, but Ocon finished the session up in sixth while Perez was ninth, but less than a tenth behind in a close midfield battle.
Gasly can also be extremely happy with his efforts, making the top-10 for the second time this season.
Sergey Sirotkin (13th) impressed in reaching Q2 for Williams - with a disgruntled Lance Stroll out in Q1 again - while Leclerc shone at his home race by finishing 14th and ahead of Romain Grosjean, who faces a three-place grid penalty following his Spanish GP crash.
Grosjean is better-placed than Haas team-mate Magnussen, however, with the Dane the surprise exit from the first part of qualifying as many drivers were caught out by yellow flags after Leclerc went straight on at St Devote.
Hartley, in particular, couldn't hide his anger due to the potential of his Toro Rosso.
