Mercedes driver Antonelli takes pole at Monaco GP

Kimi Antonelli

World championship leading teenager Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable run of successes on Saturday by claiming pole position for Mercedes ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old Italian clocked one minute and 12.051 seconds to beat the Dutchman by 0.043 seconds in the final minute of a thrilling qualifying session that left both Ferraris on the second row of the grid.

After four wins, Antonelli will be seeking to become the first Italian to win five consecutive races since Alberto Ascari achieved the feat for Ferrari in 1952 after extending Mercedes' run to six successive poles this year.

Antonelli said he had produced "a magic lap". "It was so close with Max!" he said after securing his fourth pole of the season.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was third ahead of Charles Leclerc, Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull and Mercedes' George Russell, who is 43 points behind Antonelli in the drivers' title race.

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