Max Verstappen secures his fourth victory of 2023 as he crosses the finish line. Verstappen now holds an impressive 39 wins at Red Bull, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s team record. The Dutchman adds another triumph in Monaco to his name, marking his second win at the prestigious race. Furthermore, his championship lead extends to 39 points, solidifying his position at the top.

Fernando Alonso comes agonizingly close to securing pole position, but in a breathtaking display, Max Verstappen snatches it away with a sensational final sector.

Alonso appeared poised to claim the top spot, but Verstappen unleashed a remarkable performance in Sector 3, achieving a purple time and narrowly edging out the Aston Martin driver by a mere 0.084 seconds.

Q2 Knock-out

Once again, Hamilton manages to secure his passage with a remarkable final lap!

Despite not having his tires in the optimal condition he desired, Hamilton showcases his prowess by delivering a crucial lap precisely when it counts. This performance lands him a respectable fifth place in the session, closely trailing his teammate George Russell.

“Man, this car is incredibly challenging to drive, mate,” remarks Hamilton, highlighting the demanding nature of his racing machine.

Q3 Knock-out

Max Verstappen asserts his dominance with an impressive display across three rapid sectors, clocking in at 18.804, 34.148, and 19.086. This remarkable performance results in a time of 1:12.038, which stands as the fastest lap of the entire weekend thus far.

Pierre Gasly delivers an outstanding lap, securing the second position just 0.131 seconds behind Verstappen. Following closely are Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz, completing the top five contenders.

Facing setbacks in their tire strategy, Lewis Hamilton finds himself utilizing the same set of tires from Q1 for his initial attempts as Mercedes aims to realign their track plan. As of now, he occupies the 11th spot and holds the distinction of being the final driver to have established a proper lap time in Q2.

Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, sits one place ahead in the rankings.

Last year winner, Sergio Perez’s loss of control at Turn 1, resulting in a forceful collision with the barriers that abruptly concluded his qualifying session.

Wrapping up the day, Max Verstappen claimed the leading position on the timesheets, concluding a mere 0.065 seconds ahead of local hero Charles Leclerc.

Carlos Sainz, who set the pace in the opening practice session, unfortunately encountered a setback as he ended his session in the barriers at the exit of La Piscine.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso secured the fourth position in his Aston Martin, with the top four drivers being separated by a mere 0.220 seconds.

Mercedes introduced their highly anticipated upgrade package; however, Lewis Hamilton struggled to replicate his third-place finish from FP1, slipping down to sixth position. George Russell, on the other hand, concluded the session in 12th place.