How Antonelli's "magic lap" stole pole from Verstappen in Monaco

In Monaco GP qualifying on June 6, 2026, championship leader Kimi Antonelli secured pole position by just 0.048 seconds over Max Verstappen with what was described as a 'magic lap.' Verstappen had delivered a strong qualifying performance after Red Bull significantly improved the RB21's setup between FP3 and qualifying, closing a gap that had been 0.942 seconds earlier in the day. Antonelli's own team reportedly did not believe pole position was achievable until the final corners of his decisive lap.