dpa
Monte Carlo
Champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull put up a fantastic last flying lap to snatch pole position from veteran Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Alonso thought he had claimed his first pole since 2012, but championship leader Verstappen found three tenths in the final sector to clock 1 minute 11.365 seconds, beating the Spanish driver by 0.084 second.
“I’m very happy. We knew this weekend would be a little bit of a struggle for us, in qualifying you need to go all out and risk it all,” Verstappen said.
Charles Leclerc was 0.106 second off the pace and will start his home race in third. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez, meanwhile, will start from the back of the grid after crashing in Q1.
Pole position in Monaco is a crucial step towards victory, as the street circuit doesn’t offer many overtaking possibilities. Pit stop strategies also play a major role in the traditional race.
Alonso acknowledged that pole in Monaco is important, but said “first row on the grid is still a big thing for us. We will try to win. It’s very short into Turn 1, but this year normally we make good starts.” It was a tough fight for pole position, with Verstappen setting the bar in the first flying lap, but he was immediately outclassed by Alonso.
There was a surprise appearance at the top as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon took the best time as the second round of runs started, but his effort didn’t last long and was smashed by Leclerc.
Alonso then charged to provisional pole, but Verstappen closed the session at the top of the timesheets after all and with an impressive effort.
“I gave it all in the third sector, clipped some barriers. Race pace wise, the car is quick. Just need to keep it calm,” the Dutchman said.
Leclerc, meanwhile, was not happy with third place, but said “we need to look at the situation we are in with the car. I struggle a lot with the car, but in qualifying the car was a bit more alive.” The Monegasque has had miserable experiences in his home race over the years and failed to finish three of the four times he has raced there.
Last year, he started on pole, but a sloppy strategy from his Ferrari team meant he finished the race in fourth.
Ocon took fourth, his best qualifying result so far this season, and pushed Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari to fifth.
The Alpine of Pierre Gasly in seventh split the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who were sixth and eight respectively.
Yuki Tsunoda of Alpha Tauri and Lando Norris of McLaren completed the top 10.
The glamorous Monaco Grand Prix takes place on Sunday. Last weekend, the Emiglia-Romagna Grand Prix in Italy was cancelled due to the flooding in the region.
