F1 2025 Monaco GP Qualifying Showdown

The 2025 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session offered a close look at how F1 teammates measure up at one of the season’s most demanding circuits. After Saturday’s action, every team’s head-to-head record changed as drivers pushed their limits for grid spots.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri came out ahead once again, leading Lando Norris in their 2025 qualifying battles 6-4. Without counting sprint sessions, the pair stands even at 4-4, showing how evenly matched they remain. At Monaco, Piastri took the upper hand in Q3, giving McLaren another strong showing.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc continues to be a qualifying star for the Scuderia. He now leads Lewis Hamilton 8-2 in head-to-head records for the year, with a 7-1 advantage in non-sprint qualifying. Leclerc’s consistent top results have anchored Ferrari’s grid positions, especially with strong laps in Australia and China.

Meanwhile, Hamilton faced challenges during qualifying, including a higher-profile crash in practice, but still managed to stay within striking distance in several races. For more on Leclerc’s performance, see his qualifying dominance at Monaco.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has dominated teammate battles this season, holding a perfect 7-0 record over Yuki Tsunoda in full qualifying and remaining unbeaten in 6-0 non-sprint contests. Verstappen’s pace was clear in Japan and Bahrain, putting him on the front rows while Tsunoda often fought deeper in the field.

In the second Red Bull entry, Liam Lawson trailed in his matchup, with Verstappen outperforming him by large margins, particularly in early rounds like Australia and China.

Mercedes saw George Russell further his lead over rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, bringing the head-to-head to 8-2 (7-1 without sprints). Russell has shown steady speed, placing ahead of his new teammate on most Saturdays. For more insights into Russell’s development at Mercedes, check out this analysis from Motorsport.com.

Mechanical problems and a crash in Q1 at Monaco limited Antonelli’s chances to close the gap this weekend. For Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso outqualified Lance Stroll for the ninth time in 2025.

Stroll’s lone win came earlier, but Alonso has set the standard for the team, especially with top 10 Q3 appearances even on tight layouts like Monaco.

Williams and Alpine both featured interesting back-and-forth contests. Alexander Albon leads Carlos Sainz 6-4 in combined qualifying results after Monaco, with close times recorded at circuits like Australia and China.

For Alpine, Pierre Gasly maintained a solid edge over his teammates, finishing with a 6-2 record against Jack Doohan for the season so far. In Monaco, technical issues and crashes played roles in shaping some qualifying stats across the grid, as several drivers lost out on representing lap times. Gasly’s performance off-track also generated buzz in the paddock and beyond, see more on Gasly’s off-track interests.

Teams like Haas, Sauber, and Racing Bulls all saw their internal rivalries shift after the latest session. Esteban Ocon leads Oliver Bearman 7-3 at Haas, while Nico Hülkenberg continues to stay ahead at Sauber with a 6-4 margin over Gabriel Bortoleto.

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda swapped places again, with Tsunoda holding a narrow edge at 2-1 following Monaco’s result.

With qualifying key to a strong Monaco race outcome, the teammate comparisons often foreshadow which drivers can turn Saturday speed into Sunday points. These head-to-head scores set the stage for more on-track battles as the 2025 F1 season continues at one of the most challenging venues on the schedule. The two-stop strategy and race format also affected qualifying tactics and team approaches during the weekend, detailed further in the Monaco GP strategy breakdown.

The numbers after Monte Carlo offer a snapshot of each team’s strongest qualifiers and hint at who could be leading the charge in the coming rounds.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.