Max Verstappen won the hearts of millions as he gained his 3rd pole position of the season in Monaco. The Red Bull driver also achieved his first pole position in the Monte Carlo in great style.
In the dying minutes of the 2023 Monaco GP’s Qualifying, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc, and Fernando Alonso all claimed the pole. Verstappen was setting his final lap of the session when he was briefed about Alonso’s pole on the radio.
The driver made up over 0.2 seconds within the final sector of the track to beat the Spaniard by 0.08 seconds. Christian Horner hailed this as the 2x champion’s greatest Saturday performance of his career.
Christian Horner praises Max Verstappen for a magical pole lap
Red Bull team Principal Christian Horner was elated to see Max Verstappen secure the pole position. Horner and the entire Red Bull Pitwall had lost hope when Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso secured the pole in the final minutes of Q3.
Verstappen had to make up two-tenths of a second in the shortest sector of the circuit, without DRS. However, the defending champion pipped the Spaniard’s time to secure a crucial pole. Horner summarised the Dutchman’s incredible performance saying, “I think that is one of the best laps he’s ever driven in qualifying.”
He told Sky Sports, “When he arrived at the Swimming Pool he was 0.2s behind Fernando and then all the time through that last sector. I think he hit the wall on both sides but carried the momentum and the speed. I could see him gaining the time, I knew it was going to be close and he just did it.”
The Red Bull boss had previously stated that his team is bound to struggle in Monaco as the RB19 isn’t suited to the track’s layout. Thus, Verstappen got no aid from his car in his final run. It was entirely him and his racecraft that bagged the pole.
Verstappen was ready to risk it all
Max Verstappen is known for being an aggressive driver on the track. But the Dutchman kept everything on the line to claim his first pole position in Monaco.
The driver was informed that he had lost the pole position to Charles Leclerc and later Fernando Alonso. He was told during his final attempt, the driver was still lagging behind the Spaniard by 0.2 seconds.
From then on he went all in to grab the first place on Sunday’s grid. He told F1, “I knew I was behind, so in the last sector, I gave it everything. I had clipped a few barriers but of course very happy to be on the pole here for the first time.”
His teammate Sergio Perez suffered a huge crash in the first session after hitting the barrier in turn 1. Yet, the fearless Dutchman stated, “In qualifying, you need to go all out and risk it all.”
Perez will be starting the race from the back. Starting on the pole will give an edge to Verstappen to win the race on Sunday. However, rain or a safety car might hamper his chances of a race win in Monte Carlo.
