Current Formula One world champion Max Verstappen secured the pole position in the Monaco GP after narrowly beating fierce Fernando Alonso in an intense qualifying session. The Red Bull driver took pole position for the first time in Monaco in his career, preventing Alonso from claiming his first pole since 2012.
Your stars of Monaco Qualifying ⭐️⭐️⭐️#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/REgb2qbXlz
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2023
Max gave an insight into his experience at the Monaco GP qualification saying, “It was a bit tricky for me in the first two sectors in Q3, the tyres were a bit too cold, with the out-lap and a lot of traffic, I couldn’t do it the way I wanted to.”
“From there on, I just tried to risk it more and more. I came out of Turn 12 and I was like, ‘I need to go flat out, we might end up in the wall or not!’ I pushed a few barriers, right and left, but luckily it worked out for us,” he added.
After two sectors of his lap, world championship leader Verstappen was 0.204 seconds off the time that had put Alonso on the provisional pole, but he produced a breathtaking finish to beat team Aston Martin by 0.084 seconds.
Max 🆚 Fernando
Vital milliseconds were won and lost during the final sector 👀#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Ee5lxlWaUY
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 28, 2023
Monaco GP qualifying results
Max Verstappen continues to seem unstoppable as he finishes in pole position despite suffering from adversity in Free Practice 1. His Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, however, will be starting the main event at the back of the grid after facing a crash in Q1.
Even though Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third, he dropped to sixth after receiving a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren’s Lando Norris. Because of this, Esteban Ocon of Alpine moved up to third place to start the race, with Carlos Sainz, a teammate of Leclerc, moving up to fourth.
One of the greatest Qualifying sessions of all-time in Formula 1 💫
This, is no ordinary sport 💙#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Gvxojnewsu
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2023
Seven times F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has also gained an advantage from Leclerc’s penalty and will start fifth following a strong final lap in his newly upgraded Mercedes.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly finished seventh overall, beating out Mercedes’ George Russell, thanks to an impressive performance. Yuki Tsunoda and Lando Norris complete the top 10.
This weekend could prove pivotal in the title race, with the World Champion having the opportunity to increase his lead to 40 points with a successful showing. Nevertheless, many fans will likely be awaiting a thrilling main event at the Monaco GP, which is scheduled to take place today at 13:00 GMT.
