Monaco GP qualifying: Lando Norris to start on pole in Monte Carlo

Lando Norris put McLaren on pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc alongside on the front row for his home race.

McLaren's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri qualified third with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fourth and Red Bull's Max Verstappen fifth.

British driver Norris set a new record around the streets of Monte Carlo to beat local hero Leclerc to pole by 0.109 seconds.

Norris, who has bemoaned his qualifying slip-ups throughout the season, put it together at the death to clinch his first pole since the season-opener in Melbourne.

Verstappen, who clinched his second win of the season at Imola last weekend to close to within 22 points of Piastri, qualified fifth.

Leclerc, who sparked jubilation in the principality 12 months ago when he ended years of near misses to clinch his first home victory, topped all three practice sessions and looked well set to clinch a fourth Monaco pole in five years.

The Monegasque improved on his final run in qualifying but was undone by Norris’ blistering final lap.

Monaco is widely considered to be the most crucial qualifying session of the year, due it being nigh-on impossible to overtake around the narrow streets of the principality.

The FIA have introduced a mandatory two pit-stop rule for this season in a bid to create more strategy options for the race.

Hamilton crashed in the closing stages of final practice, losing control of his Ferrari at Massenet and spinning into the barriers.

Ferrari were forced into extensive work on Hamilton’s car, including changing the nose, front wing and gearbox.

The seven-time world champion had to pull together a fast lap to make it out of Q1 but was then placed under investigation for impeding Verstappen.

Ferrari appeared to inform their driver that the Dutchman was on a slow lap, with Hamilton saying: “You said he was slowing down!”

Hamilton was just over four tenths off Norris’ pole time.

Mercedes endured a miserable qualifying, with George Russell – fourth in the drivers’ standings – and Kimi Antonelli lining up 14th and 15th.

Antonelli crashed out at the end of Q1 in his first F1 Monaco qualifying. The 18-year-old blew his left front tyre when hitting the barriers on the entry to the Nouvelle Chicane.

Russell was on the radio at the start of Q2 to report that he had lost power, with his car coming to halt in the middle of the tunnel – bringing out an inevitable red flag.

The marshals pushed his stricken machinery out of the tunnel and into an escape road as Russell guided the car and banged his steering wheel in frustration.

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Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?

George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.

Hunting park to luxury living

Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

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Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
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Rating: 2/5

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

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The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4

Price, base: Dh145,000

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

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Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)