Lewis Hamilton admits his second career pole in Monaco "means so much" to him after Saturday's qualifying session.
It was another case of the world champion producing the goods when he needed to, as he pipped Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by less than a tenth of a second.
And despite all that he has accomplished over the years, the sense of prestige with every success in Monte Carlo remains strong.
“This is the race that every driver dreams of as a kid,” Hamilton said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you come here, it’s still a dream and you still give it everything you’ve got.
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“All the guys have worked tirelessly, back at the factory so we’ve arrived with a great car. It was a great battle with Valtteri, he’s been quick all weekend and all races up to now.
“Just the desire and the will to get this pole - it means so much to me,” he stated.
“I had to dig deeper than ever and I'm so glad I can get that deep. That lap was beautiful, I feel amazing.”
Hamilton also spoke of the effort it takes for him and the rest to deliver on the streets of Monaco.
“We have a great package, what people need to realise is, all of us drivers take whatever car we have, fast or slow, we take it to limit,” he emphasised.
“When you hit the limit, it’s like wrestling a bull, or whatever you want to say it is, it’s out of control the whole time, so it’s trying to balance it and react at the right times.
“That lap was hard, I had an oversteer moment at Rasscasse and I just managed to pull it off.
“I lost a bit in the last corner, but still I was coming across the line hoping that one millisecond, hope it makes a difference. I don’t know what the gap is but I’ll take it. It’s perfect.”
