World champion Max Verstappen could only qualify down in sixth after hitting the wall on his final run and not able to improve his time, in what rounded off a horrible day for Red Bull.
Qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix got underway following three practice sessions in which Ferrari and Leclerc dominated.
The first session of qualifying saw a Monaco surprise, with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso out early, alongside another shock in Red Bull star Sergio Perez, who could only manage 18th.
The Alpine of Pierre Gasly surprisingly managed to make it into Q3, as did Alex Albon, both drivers putting in brilliant laps to give their teams a good chance of points in Sunday's race.
Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz rounded out the top three, while Lando Norris claimed a second row start.
F1 Qualifying Results: Monaco Grand Prix 2024
1. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - 1:10.270sec
2. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - +0.154sec
3. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +0.248sec
4. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +0.272sec
5. George Russell [Mercedes] - +0.273sec
6. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - +0.297sec
7. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +0.351sec
8. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB] - +0.588sec
9. Alex Albon [Williams] - +0.678sec
10. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] - +1.041sec