F1 qualifying results: Max Verstappen takes Monaco GP pole
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix, the sixth round of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship, in a thrilling qualifying session.
Verstappen will start ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3.
Besides the thrilling ending to Q3, where pole changed hands four times in the final two minutes, the big shock was last year’s race winner Sergio Perez crashing out of Q1 inside the first five minutes of qualifying in his Red Bull.
Monaco Grand Prix qualifying results: Verstappen on pole from Alonso
| Cla | Nº | Driver | Car/Engine | Time | Delay |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1'11.365 | |
| 2 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1'11.449 | 0.084 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1'11.471 | 0.106 |
| 4 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 1'11.553 | 0.188 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1'11.630 | 0.265 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1'11.725 | 0.360 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine/Renault | 1'11.933 | 0.568 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1'11.964 | 0.599 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT | 1'12.082 | 0.717 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 1'12.254 | 0.889 |
| 11 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren/Mercedes | 1'12.395 | 1.030 |
| 12 | 21 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT | 1'12.428 | 1.063 |
| 13 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams/Mercedes | 1'12.527 | 1.162 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1'12.623 | 1.258 |
| 15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 1'12.625 | 1.260 |
| 16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams/Mercedes | 1'13.113 | 1.748 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 1'13.270 | 1.905 |
| 18 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas/Ferrari | 1'13.279 | 1.914 |
| 19 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 1'13.523 | 2.158 |
| 20 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1'13.850 | 2.485 |
What happened in Monaco Grand Prix Q1?
Verstappen set the early pace at 1m13.784s, 0.066s clear of Perez’s 1m13.850s. Perez then crashed heavily on his second push lap at Sainte Devote, after losing control of the rear of his car, and slammed the barrier to cause a red flag.
Verstappen reset the P1 bar at 1m13.038s at the resumption, before Alonso lowered it with 1m12.886s. Verstappen responded with 1m12.644s, before Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) grabbed the top spot by 0.002s with 1m12.642s.
Verstappen wasn’t to be denied, however, setting 1m12.386s on his final lap.
Falling at the first hurdle were Logan Sargeant (Williams), the Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, Zhou Guanyu (who had topped the session briefly for Alfa Romeo before Perez shunted) and the gutted Perez.
Monaco Grand Prix Q1 results: Verstappen fastest from Tsunoda
| Cla | Nº | Driver | Car/Engine | Time | Delay | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 1'12.386 | 12 | |
| 2 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT | 1'12.642 | 0.256 | 13 |
| 3 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams/Mercedes | 1'12.706 | 0.320 | 13 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1'12.717 | 0.331 | 12 |
| 5 | 18 | Lance Stroll |