A sensational lap at the end of qualifying put Max Verstappen and his Red Bull first on the starting grid for the 2023 Monaco GP, just pipping Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin who will be alongside him on the front row of the grid.
It looked as if Alonso would have his Aston Martin on pole position, until Verstappen overturned a deficit of three tenths much to the delight of Red Bull.
Charles Leclec did qualify in third place, but was later handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren’s Lando Norris in Q3, which means the Ferrari will start sixth on the grid in Monaco. Carlos Sainz in the sister Ferrari moved up to fourth as a result.
Mercedes, who brought a raft of upgrades to Monaco, will have Lewis Hamilton starting in fifth place as he was another beneficiary of Leclerc’s penalty. As was Esteban Ocon at Alpine who starts in third.
Monaco GP 2023 starting grid
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 2 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 3 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc* | Ferrari |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 9 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri |
| 10 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 11 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 12 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | Williams |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 15 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
- Charles Leclerc – 3 place grid penalty – Impeding another driver
