Antonelli's 'magic lap' pips Verstappen to Monaco pole

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli pipped Red Bull's Max Verstappen to pole position in a gripping qualifying session at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Pole changed hands three times in the final seconds of qualifying as Antonelli became last man standing, edging Verstappen by just 0.043 seconds to take his fourth pole of the year.

Lewis Hamilton was third as the fastest Ferrari, a place ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc, who had been briefly fastest with two minutes to go but crashed on his final lap.

And Antonelli's title rival George Russell in the second Mercedes was only sixth, behind Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could manage only seventh and eighth places.

Antonelli keeps raising the bar in the second season of his career and this was as impressive as it has got so far.

A Monaco pole is a statement performance for any driver and one of the biggest prizes in Formula 1. To deliver in this fashion, at the age of 19, underlined his potential as the most likely world champion this year at this early stage.

He and Verstappen were separated by just 0.001secs after their first runs in the final session and Antonelli said he had produced a "magic lap" to beat the Dutchman.