Charles Leclerc was denied the chance to finish what looked like being one of the great Monaco laps by the red flag at the end of qualification on Saturday.
The red flag was thrown for an accident at the Port when the red flag was thrown for an accident at the Tabac corner.
Leclerc said he wanted to finish that lap. The onboard footage is oversteer-y, so it is nice. It was a great lap until then, but it happens in Monaco, so no frustration.
The first lap of the final session was good enough for him to take the pole position for the second year in a row.
But as Leclerc celebrated, and turned his focus on turning his pole into a much-needed win on Sunday, a question hung in the air - will he and Formula 1 get a chance to savour Monaco again next year?
The idea that there might not be a Monaco Grand Prix in 2023 has been laughed at by some commentators. The prospect is real.
For a long time, Monaco has been considered a symbol of everything that is appealing and interesting about F1.
The glamour, the money, the danger, and even the slight hint of naughtiness, could be applied to F1 in some way.
Even though Leclerc said that dropping the race would be a bad move for both parties, F1 is seriously considering the idea.
Liberty Media, the US group that owns the sport, won't comment publicly, but senior sources say that they are tired of the race's fame for an audience well beyond F1's usual.
Monaco is an anachronism. For a long time, the course that winds it way up and down the hills of this tiny Principality has seemed ill-suited for F1 cars in their modern speed, size and complexity.
Watching a grand prix car is one of the most exciting things to do in sport, but it only shows how crazy it is.
That is not the core of the problem.
Money is involved, but not in a direct way.
Monaco pays a fee to hold the race. This is one of the lowest on the calendar at the moment. This isn't the issue either.
There are a number of areas that F1 wants to change.
The television coverage is the first thing. Monaco is alone on the calendar in the fact that its local television company directs the pictures the world sees; everywhere else it is F1's own TV station.
Most in F1 feel that the quality gap has been caused by the weaker television coverage in Monaco. Unusual choices are made and incidents are missed, and F1 is no longer prepared to accept this.
The race has a unique advertising agreement. Tracks have to use in-house advertising from F1 to promote their own corporate sponsors.
In Monaco, these are supplemented by deals made locally, and from F1's point of view it leads to some glaring exceptions. The luxury watch brand has significant signs around the track, but it is not the one that pays millions to F1 to be the sport's official one.
There is the track itself. Because of the location of the race, the lack of overtaking in Monaco has been accepted as part of the event.
The Automobile Club de Monaco is reluctant to entertain the idea of small changes that could make a difference.
What is perceived by many inside the sport as the way the frustrating place is run, on a number of different levels, questionable choices on a number of aspects of the weekend, and an unwillingness to accept outside ideas is the final issue.
Many will feel that Monaco's presence on the calendar is more important than the trivial matters.
The success of the new landmark event in Miami and the landing of a race on the famous Strip in Las Vegas have given Liberty a boost.
There are other historic races under threat. France is thought to be a goner. Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium could be dropped next year if Covid continues to cause problems in China and the hopes of a race in South Africa fade.
I wonder if there will be a Monaco Grand Prix next year. The Mercedes F1 team principal made a loud and clear statement about Monaco after the qualification session.
He said that he loves Monaco, and that what it has to offer is spectacular.
F1 is important for Monaco and Monaco is important for F1, but it needs a positive approach from both parties.
Monaco has to embrace the new realities of what the sport stands for today and the impact it has on the world. Monaco will always be respected within F1 as a special place.
No one should take things for granted. It would be a shame if we did not race in Monaco.
The race looks like it will be a battle between Leclerc and Verstappen, with Leclerc on pole.
If they can hold their positions at the start, they should be able to control the race from the front.
It is not a foregone conclusion. The official weather forecast for the race has a 60% chance of rain, and storms are expected overnight.
The removal of the arcane rule that requires teams to start a race on the tire they used in second qualification frees up strategy here.
Max Verstappen set his fastest first sector time of the weekend, second only to Leclerc, just before the red flag at the end of qualification, but there was a hint of his real pace just before that.
Verstappen has won four races from only one pole this year, and Leclerc has two victories from four poles. The Red Bull is in the lead.
Monaco is not aggressive on tires. Is it possible for Verstappen to choose a harder tyre at the start, run really deep into the race, and try to overtake the Ferrari?
In just three races, Verstappen has turned a 46-point deficit to Leclerc into a six-point advantage. Leclerc needs to win to stem that tide.
Leclerc's home victory is a long way from being won.
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