Verstappen snatched his first pole in Monaco

2023-05-27 15:38:00

The Dutchman, for whom it was his first pole in the Principality, edged Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin by 0.084 seconds on Saturday. Third was Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. Verstappen’s Red Bull stable rival Sergio Perez crashed in the first qualifying section and had to start from the back.

For the Mexican this is a major setback in the internal duel for the world championship. The starting position and the right pit stop strategy are the decisive factors on the street circuit, as overtaking is hardly possible. “It can be a difficult afternoon for him tomorrow,” commented Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

Verstappen only got pole position with his last attempt, by literally driving through the last sector of the track on a knife’s edge. “Oh my God! I hit the wall pretty hard on the straight,” was the first reaction of the two-time world champion in the car. “I’m very happy. We knew this weekend was going to be a bit difficult for us,” he later said. “In the third sector I gave everything and brushed against some obstacles. In terms of race pace, the car is fast. We just have to stay calm.”

Alonso and Leclerc weren’t really happy. “Pole position means a lot here in Monaco, but Max was a bit faster today. The first row on the grid is still a big thing for us. We’ll try to win,” Alonso said aggressively.

“I’m not satisfied with third place, but we have to look at the situation we’re in with the car. I’m struggling a lot with the car,” said Monegasque Leclerc, who was a tenth of a second slower than Verstappen. “Of course I would have preferred to finish first.” His teammate Carlos Sainz finished fifth behind Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, sixth was Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.