MONTE CARLO – At some point in the third qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday, Fernando Alonso was told by his team that he was on provisional pole.
“I’m pushing like an animal,” the Aston Martin driver replied.
The Spaniard pushed as hard as he could but, in a thrilling end to the session with just 30 seconds left, Red Bull’s two-time world champion Max Verstappen overtook him by 0.084sec to clinch pole position for Sunday’s race.
It was the Dutchman’s first Monaco Grand Prix pole.
It came after a dramatic finish to the day which saw provisional pole switch hands from Alonso to Verstappen to Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, and then from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to Alonso and finally Verstappen again.
“I’m very happy. In qualifying, you need to go all out and risk it all,” said Verstappen.
“My first sector wasn’t ideal in my final lap, I was a bit cautious but then I knew I was behind, so the last sector I just gave it everything I had, clipped a few barriers and was very happy to be on pole here for the first time.
“We need a clean start tomorrow. In Monaco, anything can happen, a safety car, rain, you name it. There’s always a bit of chaos involved. Race pace-wise, the car is quick, so that is not the problem. Just need to keep it clean and calm.”
Alonso, meanwhile, admitted that it was a “shame” that he lost out right at the end.
“Obviously, pole position means a lot in Monaco but today Max was a little bit faster,” he said.
“I think first row on the grid here for us is quite a big thing.
“Let’s see tomorrow what we can do in terms of strategy, if there is any weather coming. We will try to win it. We normally have a good start. Max is a bit inconsistent, so maybe (he) has one of those bad ones tomorrow.”
Leclerc was unable to secure his third Monaco pole in a row and had to settle for third and in the second row alongside Ocon in fourth.
“I’m not satisfied with practice, we struggled a lot on bumps compared to the other cars,” said the home favourite.
“But, in qualifying, the car was a bit more alive, very close to pole.
“So, all in all, happy but I would prefer to be first, of course.”
Carlos Sainz, in the second Ferrari, posted the fifth-fastest time to occupy the third row with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Ocon’s Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, George Russell of Mercedes, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and McLaren’s Lando Norris completed the top 10.
Red Bull’s title contender Sergio Perez crashed and qualified last for the race which he won last season.
His first corner smash brought out red flags to halt the action, with just over 11 minutes remaining of the opening session.
The impact punched a hole in the side of the car and left debris scattered on the track.
The session restarted once the Red Bull car had been winched away and Perez’s time left him bottom of the timesheets.
Red Bull have won all five races so far this season, four of them with one-two finishes.
Verstappen, the 2021 winner in Monaco, leads Perez by 14 points.
Monaco was also a race that Perez had high hopes of winning, with most of the Mexican’s previous victories secured on street circuits. REUTERS, AFP
