Formula One

F1 Monaco Qualyfing Result: Verstappen Narrowly Beats Alonso to Pole, Perez Crashes Out

It took a while, but Max Verstappen will finally start from pole at Monaco. The Dutchman narrowly beat fellow two-time champion Fernando Alonso in qualifying, and will line up first on Sunday.

F1 Monaco Qualifying Results 2023 Max Verstappen pole
Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB19. 27.05.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 7, Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Qualifying Day. – www.xpbimages.com, EMail: [email protected] © Copyright: Coates / XPB Images – Photo by Icon sport

F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Who Will be on Pole?

Max Verstappen will be on pole for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. The reigning champion went 0.085s faster than Fernando Alonso with a late “full-send” lap, which saw him take down over two tenths and even brush the wall exiting Antony Noghes. Alonso narrowly missed out on his first pole position in 11 years, but managed to put Aston Martin on the front row for the third time this season. Home hero Charles Leclerc was a close third. Check out our betting tips and F1 predictions for the weekend.

Q1: Perez Crashes Out, Verstappen Leads, Sainz and Hamilton Survive

Action had barely gotten underway when Sergio Perez found the wall. The Red Bull driver smashed the guardrail going up Saint Devote, heavily damaging the rear of his car and retiring from the session. The Mexican had managed to set the fifth fastest time in his first flying attempt.

When the session went back to green, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were first and second. Naturally, that didn’t last long. Verstappen went top, with Alonso later moving into first place. Lewis Hamilton found himself down in 17th at the end of the second run. Perez tumbled down the order, and lost all hope of at least salvaging a transfer spot to Q2.

As is often the case on street circuits, the track kept improving lap after lap. The order was shuffled multiple times, with Carlos Sainz suddenly finding himself in the drop zone. The Ferrari driver needed a late flyer to go fourth. Hamilton also squeezed through, going seventh at the drop of the checkered.

Logan Sargeant, Haas duo Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu joined Perez in the bottom 5. Perez will start last, but will have the option of playing the long game – taking new parts and starting from the pits. Verstappen led Q1 from a surprising Yuki Tsunoda.

Q2: Verstappen on Top Again

The fight at the top between Verstappen and Alonso continued. The two-time champions were first and second at the end of the first run, with Verstappen ahead of Alonso. This time around, it was George Russell who found himself under threat, as the Mercedes driver was down in 11th at the end of the first set of laps.

As the second run started, Lando Norris understeered heavily into Tabac and brushed the wall, picking up some suspension damage. The McLaren driver, however, had done enough to secure a spot in the top 10. Russell managed to get a transfer spot, but at the expense of his teammate Hamilton. Suddenly, Stroll found himself outside the cutoff zone, down in 14th.

Hamilton managed to go fifth in his final run, with Tsunoda also moving into the top 10, bumping Oscar Piastri out. Stroll did not manage to go any faster, and failed to make it to Q3 at Monte Carlo for the sixth time in six attempts. The Canadian also missed out on a call to head to the weighbridge, which will likely incur a penalty.

Q3: Verstappen Tops a Frantic Session

Alonso went to the top in first attempt with 1:11.706, going an impressive four tenths quicker than Verstappen, who did not lay down a good banker attempt. Leclerc briefly went second, jumping Verstappen, but was demoted by his teammate Sainz.

The showdown was on for the final flying lap attempt. Leclerc briefly went top, but was soon demoted by Alonso, who set a 1:11.449. Verstappen only went for his flyer in the dying moments of the session. The Dutchman was two tenths down on Alonso’s provisional pole through sectors 1 and 2, but laid down a blistering third sector to pull a 1:11.365 out of the hat and score his first career pole position in Monaco.


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