Formula 1: Daniel Ricciardo revels in Monaco pole

Daniel Ricciardo claimed his maiden Formula One pole in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, and claims he had a feeling he would be able to pull it off.

The Australian qualified third last time out in Spain, with his Q3 time 0.68 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton, who went fastest in the Mercedes.

That, combined with going fastest in FP2 on Thursday, raised Ricciardo's confidence levels and made him believe he could start Sunday's race at the front of the grid.

His time of one minute and 13.622secs could not be bettered by the Mercedes pair, and he was pleased to have fulfilled his ambition heading into the Sunday's race.

"I knew coming into the weekend that we had a shot at it," said Ricciardo.

"It looked good from Thursday and I sort of had it in my mind coming into the weekend, also after Barcelona, that I feel like last in the last races I've been driving well but haven't got maximum results for it.

"I came into the weekend with a lot of confidence and belief that I could be in this position. I'm very happy to fulfil that. It feels good, I've always enjoyed this place.

"The car has got a good package now and it's nice to make the most out of it."