F1
Nate Saunders, General Editor, F1 6y

Mercedes and Ferrari should be putting Daniel Ricciardo's phone number on speed dial

Formula 1, AutoRacing

A round-up of the main talking points from qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, where Daniel Ricciardo claimed a second career pole position.

Shock: Mercedes expected to be the third-quickest car this weekend, but Lewis Hamilton was able to split the Ferraris in Q3. That, coupled with Max Verstappen's crash in FP3, means the reigning world champion lines up from a surprising third on the grid.

Shocker: Verstappen should have been fighting teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the first pole position of his Formula One career in qualifying, but instead he watched the entire session in the garage. His crash in FP3 gave the team too big a repair job in the lunch break and means he will line up from the back of the grid at Formula One's most difficult circuit to overtake on. 

Under pressure: His podium in Spain was supposed to be the spark that turned Verstappen's season around after a difficult start, but he's back under the microscope after this most costly of errors. He has left a lot of points on the table already this season, and this one probably cost Red Bull a lockout of the front row and the chance to capture maximum points this weekend. 

Making matters even worse? The form of his teammate ... 

The Honey Badger dominates: Ricciardo has the words "I run these streets" on the back of his helmet for this weekend's race. It's hard to disagree. The Aussie's scintillating lap earned him his second pole position at the principality in three years.

This is the race that got away from Ricciardo in 2016, when Red Bull botched a pit stop when he was cruising to victory. The absence of Verstappen at the front bolsters his chances of winning tomorrow. 

Haas tumble: Haas was comfortably the fourth-quickest team in Spain -- the spot traditionally called "best of the rest" in modern F1 -- but it has endured a miserable weekend since the lights first went green in Monaco. Romain Grosjean squeezed into Q2 but could manage only 15th (though he is set to serve a grid penalty for his crash in Spain), while Kevin Magnussen posted qualifying's slowest time. A difficult Sunday lies ahead.

Return of Fernando: Twelve months ago, Fernando Alonso missed the Monaco Grand Prix for his maiden Indianapolis 500. His return was vintage Alonso: throwing his orange McLaren around the Monte Carlo circuit for an impressive seventh position.

Rookies impress: Sergey Sirotkin and Charles Leclerc deserve plaudits for their efforts in Q1; both men comfortably beat their teammates to progress. Sirotkin, especially, has looked quick all weekend -- albeit slightly erratic, too -- while Leclerc continues to show why he is such a highly regarded young talent.

Star of the session: This has to be Ricciardo. A mighty, mighty performance. No one on the grid needs any reminder that he is still without a contract for 2019. Mercedes and Ferrari should be putting his number on speed dial.

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