Max Verstappen edges out Fernando Alonso to take Monaco F1 GP pole

Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, delivering a masterclass for Red Bull in a gripping session on the streets of Monte Carlo to beat Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso into second place. Verstappen absolutely threaded the needle on the narrow, twisting confines of the principality with a consummate lap and with it secured a commanding advantage for Sunday’s race.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third, his teammate Carlos Sainz in fifth, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in fourth. Mercedes, who had brought their long awaited new design upgrades to this meeting, made tentative steps in the right direction with Lewis Hamilton in sixth and George Russell in eighth.

Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez took too much pace into Sainte Devote and lost the rear, hitting the wall early in Q1 and causing the session to be red-flagged. An unforced error likely to translate into a major championship blow for the Mexican, who will start from the back of the grid.

Leclerc is under investigation for impeding McLaren’s Landoi Norris and may face a grid penalty.

Verstappen had been strong, leading the times throughout qualifying and opened on his first hot run in Q3 with a 1minute 12.102 second-lap but it was Alonso who had the edge and it was a chasm, leading with a lap a full four-tenths up on the Dutchman. With the track evolving the final runs of which they were to take two more of each were to be crucial.

Verstappen improved at first with a mighty final sector and a time of 1m 11.654, five hundredths up on Alonso only for a gripping session to throw up another surprise as Ocon delivered a superb run to take provisional pole. For the final hot laps and the track as quick as it would go, Alonso had held his best to last and looked