Monaco Grand Prix: Verstappen grabs pole position from Alonso

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen grabbed pole from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in a gripping qualifying session at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Alonso displaced Verstappen at the top of the timesheets with his final lap.

The Dutchman was more than 0.2 seconds behind after the first two sectors of his last attempt but a stunning final few corners saw him take pole position by 0.084secs.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third, just 0.022secs behind Alonso.

Lewis Hamilton could manage only sixth fastest in the upgraded Mercedes after a frenetic and difficult session, behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

However, they all moved up one place after Leclerc was later handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren’s Lando Norris in the tunnel.

Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez, the Dutchman’s only vague title rival, crashed in the first session and will start last.  (BBC)