ALONSO TURNS UP HEAT TO MAX!

Verstappen on pole, but Fernando casts his spell

OFFICIALLY, Max Verstappen was the fastest man in Monaco, claiming his first pole position here as if waving a magic wand in the dying seconds of the year’s most compelling qualifying session.

But for once, the double world champion’s magnificence only served to underline the brilliance of another. That star under cobalt blue skies was 41-year-old Fernando Alonso, who turned time and technology on their heads through a combination of sheer willpower and enduring talent.

‘I’m pushing like an animal,’ declared the Spaniard, having just set the fastest time after the first round of flying laps in Q3. He then re-established himself on top with his second blast. Only Verstappen was possibly left to spoil his perfect day.

From two-tenths down heading into the final sector, Verstappen zipped through the closing bends in defiance of danger to finish 0.084 of a second ahead. It was a fine display, but achieved in an unmatched Red Bull. Alonso’s deeds were delivered in an Aston Martin that carried his team-mate Lance Stroll to just 14th quickest.

‘I raised the risk to an uncomfortable level,’ said Alonso, after missing out on what would have been his first pole for 3,961 days. He was delighted just to have inveigled himself on the front row and hugged his mechanics in celebration, knowing that one slip from Max offers him the chance to win Monaco for a fourth time.

But he has not won anywhere for a decade, as he has trudged through treacle in the sticky areas of the grid. Moving to Aston this year, with their sudden competitiveness, has rekindled the fire. ‘It’s a very short run into Turn 1,’ said Alonso. ‘We normally have a good start. Max is a bit inconsistent so maybe he has one of those bad ones tomorrow.

‘I have never lost my confidence over the years. Perhaps I am over-confident but that is part of my DNA. But my form is proof to a younger generation that has only seen me fighting to get into Q3 or with smoke at the back to realise that I am fast.’

It was also a chance for Monaco’s doubters to witness the principality at its best. Packed stands, bobbing yachts and narrow walls that send adrenaline jumping faster than inflation. We should remember that whatever drama, or lack of it, materialises across 78 laps today.

If Alonso’s mood was as bright as the sun, the atmosphere at Mercedes was measured after Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth — though he moved up a place after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was demoted three slots from third for blocking McLaren’s Lando Norris — and George Russell eighth, respectively four-tenths and six-tenths back.

This after the introduction of their major upgrade package — a new floor, front suspension, cooling system and sidepod. While a definitive judgment on its effectiveness must await further analysis, it does not appear to be the biggest game-changer since that water was turned into wine.

Russell, Hamilton and boss Toto Wolff all publicly accentuated the positives in post-qualifying interviews, but the jury is out.

Hamilton was scrambling throughout the afternoon and just squeezed his way out of Q1 and Q2, his confidence perhaps a tad brittle after crashing during the third practice session earlier in the day.

‘Man, this car is hard to drive, mate,’ he complained over the radio. Wolff later ascribed Hamilton’s angst to a set-up gamble, rather than the upgrade itself.

Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez condemned himself to start at the back when he crashed at the first corner, Sainte Devote, in the opening minutes of qualifying. The Mexican carried too much speed into the bend and thudded the rear of his Red Bull into the hoardings.