Monaco, May 27 (BNA): Defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen produced an impressive final lap to claim pole at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday, denying Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso his first pole position in 11 years.
Verstappen described his first pole in Monaco as “absolutely beautiful” but there was no reason for optimism for his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez as last year’s race winner crashed early in qualifying.
Esteban Ocon took a surprising lead in Alpine near the end of the session before 41-year-old Alonso was back on top as he was chasing his first pole position since the German Grand Prix in 2012, when he was with Ferrari.
But Verstappen had other ideas as he cleaned the walls of the winding street circuit to beat Alonso’s time by just 0.084 seconds and clinch his fourth pole of the season and 23rd of his career, according to the AP.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was chasing a third consecutive pole at Monaco but qualified third, 0.106 behind Verstappen. Ocon finished fourth, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr was fifth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
Hamilton struggled with the rear suspension and complained about his tires in Q2, leaving him behind again to push in Q3 on his final lap.
Alonso started Q3 with the fastest time and set the tone for an exciting finish. He came very close, but the Spanish veteran was well positioned on Sunday to press for his first win since 2013.
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