MADRID, 27 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) achieved this Saturday the ‘pole position’ of the Monaco Grand Prix, seventh round of the World Championship, just ahead of the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and with a last sector of many nerves in the urban circuit, where the current champion surpassed the Asturian by only 84 thousandths.
For his part, the also Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) finished the qualifying day in fifth place. Thus, the man from Madrid was 0.265 behind the leader Verstappen, who dominated the three batches of the day through the Monegasque streets and who brushed the walls on his final lap to snatch the privileged position from Alonso.
However, the Red Bull team had been left without one of its assets in Q1 due to an accident by the Mexican Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez, against the barriers, at the exit of turn 1. The activity resumed with 11: 12 to conclude, with Carlos Sainz during many moments in the elimination zone. For this reason, the man from Madrid went into the ‘boxes’ to change tires and signed a last saving lap.
Along with the aforementioned ‘Checo’ Pérez, who will start the Sunday race from the last place on the grid, also left out of Q1 were the American Logan Sargeant (Williams) and the Haas racing cars of the Danish Kevin Magnussen and the German Nico Hulkenberg, in company of the Chinese Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo).
Later, according to the records of the quiet Q2, the Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren), the Dutch Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri), the Thai Alexander Albon (Williams), the Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) ) or the Finn Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo).
Already for the definitive Q3, the ‘pole’ danced in the final moments. Both Alonso, leading, and Sainz, escorting him for several minutes, made the Spanish fans dream of a rojigualdo-colored front line on Sunday. However, Verstappen’s momentum once again showed that his status as a two-time World Cup champion is also an incentive to fight for everything in search of his third win.