Lewis Hamilton was back on top in qualifying, securing his first pole position in Monaco ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. The big surprise came early, with Valtteri Bottas dropping out in the first session after the Williams team struggled for pace. Felipe Massa wasn’t that much closer to getting into the top ten, but did end up 12th overall.

Neither McLaren driver managed to make it into Q3, which was a disappointment after they claimed the principality might hold their best chance at a decent result. Both the Toro Rosso drivers were up in the top ten, although further back from Red Bull who appeared much improved in the cooler temperatures. Vettel was third behind the Mercedes pair, whilst Räikkönen had to settle for sixth behind the Red Bulls.