World Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday. The young Italian from Mercedes narrowly beat Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. “It was one of those laps you call magical,” Antonelli said afterwards.
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Monaco demands more from a driver than any other circuit in the world. The walls get closer the faster you go, confidence must grow as the margin shrinks. Antonelli describes it as a process that builds up throughout the weekend: “It already starts in practice, where you increasingly push the limit. To then squeeze out those last two tenths is really not easy.” And yet he succeeded. His final run was good enough, although after the first Q3 run it was only one thousandth of a second different from Verstappen. “My last lap went well and I hoped it would be enough, it was really close.”
Also read: Monaco GP Qualifying: Antonelli narrowly beats Verstappen in thrilling duel
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What was striking about this pole was the leap Mercedes made from Friday to Saturday. After a difficult Friday, the team managed to radically improve the car. “Yesterday we were still struggling a bit on the track. Today we were able to take a big step forward,” the young Italian says, relieved. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow!”
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