Max Verstappen secured his third pole position of the 2023 Formula 1 season in a remarkable late effort to usurp Fernando Alonso, who had been on course for his first pole since 2012. Verstappen won by just 0.084s to increase his chances of repeating his 2021 victory in Monaco, where pole position is highly valued due to the difficulty of overtaking at the Principality. Verstappen trailed Alonso by two tenths heading into the final sector, but he “gave it everything I had” to secure his first pole position in Monaco.
Alonso Keeps Hopes Alive with Front Row Start
Alonso admitted he was driving at “an uncomfortable level of risk” to secure the all-important pole position, but he managed to keep his hopes of a first Monaco victory since 2007 alive with a front-row start. Charles Leclerc qualified third for Ferrari, but a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lando Norris in the Tunnel section dropped him to sixth and elevated Esteban Ocon to third.
Hamilton Starts Fifth After Raft of Upgrades
Lewis Hamilton was boosted to fifth in the lead Mercedes following its raft of upgrades. The eight-time world champion revealed that a set-up change that had made life harder in qualifying should pay dividends in the race. However, Hamilton’s day was not straightforward as a late FP3 prang meant his car had to be hoisted to safety on a crane, giving eagle-eyed photographers a close-up view of the team’s closely guarded secrets, to the frustration of team boss Toto Wolff.
Perez Starts from the Pitlane
Verstappen’s pole was a positive antidote for Red Bull after defending Monaco winner Sergio Perez planted his car into the barriers at Sainte Devote in Q1. The Mexican will have to start from the pitlane as the impact required his team to replace the chassis. Perez admitted “I cannot believe what I what I’ve done”, as his championship deficit to Verstappen appears likely to increase.
How to Watch the F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2023
The Monaco Grand Prix on the streets of Monte Carlo is the sixth round of the 2023 Formula 1 season. It gets underway at 3:00 pm local time (2:00 pm BST) on Sunday, 28 May 2023.
In the United Kingdom, Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels, which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a monthly membership of £34.99p per month.
Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Monaco GP, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Pre-race coverage will start at 12:30 pm BST on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, ahead of the race start at 2:00 pm BST.
In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Monaco GP at 6:30 pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two hours and 30 minutes, covering the pre-race, the race highlights, and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend. Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2023 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app, and via the BBC Sport website.
Current weather forecasts predict warm and sunny conditions, with a low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 22 degrees Celsius for the start of the race. The race is scheduled to complete 78 laps of the Monte Carlo Circuit, covering a total race distance of 260.286km.
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