Ferrari confirm Leclerc will start on pole in Monaco after giving his gearbox the all-clear

Local favourite Charles Leclerc will start the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position after Ferrari cleared his gearbox to race following his qualifying crash.

The Monegasque was pushing on his second run in qualifying when he clipped the barrier on the entry to the Swimming Pool section, which pitched him over the kerb and into the Armco on the exit.

He received good news on Saturday night when an initial inspection did not reveal serious damage but faced an anxious wait overnight ahead of further checks on Sunday morning.

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Those in-depth checks revealed the gearbox did not suffer any damage and therefore he would avoid a penalty and start his home race from pole position.

“Following further in-depth checks this morning, no apparent defects were found on Charles Leclerc’s gearbox,” said Ferrari in a statement.

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“Therefore, the Monegasque driver will start today’s race from pole position, as per the qualifying result.”

Leclerc will start from pole, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen alongside him on the front row, and his Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz just behind in fourth.