Fernando Alonso hopes he can take advantage of Max Verstappen’s inconsistent starts to end his 10-year wait for victory at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. The evergreen Alonso, 41, lines up behind Verstappen following an exhilarating qualifying session in the sun-cooked principality. Home favourite Charles Leclerc will be third on the grid for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell sixth and eighth respectively in their revamped Mercedes machines. Alonso took his last pole at the 2012 German Grand Prix, but he looked destined to end his 3,961-day losing streak when he moved to the top of the time charts in the closing stages. Verstappen was the only driver who could spoil the dreams of Alonso, and his Aston Martin mechanics, who had already celebrated wildly in the belief that their man had captured pole. Verstappen trailed Alonso by two tenths before he delivered a mesmerising final sector on the most famous streets in Formula One to take pole by just 0.084 seconds. “We will try to win,” said Alonso, who claimed his 32nd and final victory in Spain a decade ago. “We need some help from Max but I am not going to take it for granted. “It’s a very short run into Turn 1. We normally have a good start. Max is a bit inconsistent, so maybe he has one of those bad ones tomorrow.” Qualifying is crucial in Monte Carlo given how troublesome it is to pass at this tight and twisty venue. However, the omens are encouraging for Alonso. In the last seven years, the driver starting from second has won on more occasions than the man on pole. The last time Alonso started a race in Monaco from the front row – back in 2007 – he won. Rain could also be a factor. A victory for Alonso would be a popular one in the sport. But Verstappen’s team has won every race this season, and the Dutchman’s Red Bull is so often imperious over the course of a race distance, rather than a single lap. “I would like to see Fernando win,” admitted Verstappen. “But I would like to win, too, so we will see. “In qualifying you need to go all out and risk it all. My first sector wasn’t ideal in my final lap and I was a bit cautious, but then I knew I was behind so in the last sector I just gave it everything I had, clipping a few barriers along the way.” Further back, Mercedes were banking on their much-anticipated upgrade providing them with a springboard to challenge the grid’s all-conquering Red Bull team. But on its grand unveiling here, Hamilton was at odds with his new car. Hamilton, who earlier crashed in final practice on Saturday following a mistake at the right-hander Mirabeau, missed the chicane in the opening stage of qualifying – only avoiding an early bath with his final lap – before scrambling into Q3 after he grazed the wall at the swimming pool chicane. “Man this car is hard to drive,” said the seven-time world champion, who also reported there was “something wrong” with his right-rear suspension. He eventually finished 0.360 secs behind Verstappen, with team-mate Russell six tenths adrift. Sergio Perez is Verstappen’s closest championship challenger, but the Mexican will start Sunday’s 78-lap race at the back of the pack after he crashed out of qualifying. The running was just six minutes old when Perez – 14 points adrift of Verstappen in the standings – carried too much speed through the opening Sainte Devote corner and thudded into the wall before coming to a standstill in the middle of the circuit. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in Monaco Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes

The previous HP Omen 16 hit our test bench only four months ago, but component

Ford Motor Co. has debuted a $300,000, 800-horsepower Mustang. The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD is a street-legal, limited-edition

Three South Korean players have been fined and ordered to do community service for drinking during their failed...

All of Mike Flanagan's Netflix series — from the very creepy Haunting of Hill House

Back in the 1980s and ‘90s, audio cassettes were everything. Here are some of the most valuable cassette tapes today from those eras, including Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” and more.

The Hudson River is 315 miles from its source in the Adirondack Mountains to New York City

Apple’s Vision Pro hasn’t hit store shelves just yet, but someone has already figured out

Confidence in the Supreme Court sank to its lowest point in at least 50 years in 2022, after the Dobbs decision that overturned the right to abortion and which led to state bans and other abortion restrictions

We were in hot pursuit. Dust rose up behind our Land Cruiser in a massive cloud as our

Democrats tore into anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a congressional hearing Thursday, reprising the most incendiary claims made by the man challenging US President Joe Biden...

Christian Horner fears the Monaco Grand Prix will be “left behind” unless drastic changes are made to Formula One’s most famous track – as rain saved another procession in the principality on Sunday. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led every lap to win for a second time in Monte Carlo, extending his championship lead to 39 points after six rounds. Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso took second place, with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon third. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth respectively for Mercedes. Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s closest title challenger, endured a horror show. He started last and finished 16th after five pit stops, and multiple collisions with different competitors, and the walls that wind their way round the two-mile course. For 51 laps, the race was a dud. Verstappen saw off Alonso on the short run to Sainte Devote and the major players followed round one by one. The rain enlivened the predictable spectacle. Carlos Sainz slid off and kissed the wall at Mirabeau in his Ferrari, while Russell and Perez made contact after the Mercedes man rejoined the track following an error, also at the rain-soaked Mirabeau corner. Lance Stroll hit the barriers twice and Haas’ calamitous decision to keep Kevin Magnussen on slick tyres backfired as the Dane crunched the wall at Rascasse. But take away the sodden race track, and the top dozen were on course to take the chequered flag in the order they started. And even with the downpour, Verstappen, Alonso and Ocon, who started first, second and third, finished first, second and third. “It was an exceptionally boring race until the rain came down,” was Russell’s damning verdict. Red Bull team principal Horner, fresh from celebrating his team’s sixth win from as many races, picked up the debate. “It’s Monaco and it’s here for its history and its uniqueness,” he said. “But the problem is that the cars are so big now. “All venues have to evolve a little and if there was just one area where you could create space for an overtake it would just give that chance, because so much weight is placed on qualifying. The race is won or lost on Saturday. “I am sure that with the creativeness there is and the amount of land they are reclaiming here, there’s got to be the opportunity to introduce a bigger braking zone. “Maybe make Turn 1 a little sharper or slower, or extend the circuit if there is the opportunity to add in another kilometre that included a hairpin – that would be phenomenal. “It’s something to contemplate because when you think of the next 20 years of Monaco you don’t want to see it left behind. “It earns its place on the calendar. It’s the jewel in the crown in many respects, but as the sport continues to move forward you can’t stand still, and Monaco needs to be part of that process.” Despite being considered among the most glamorous events in world sport, the Monaco track has remain largely unchanged from the first grand prix staged in 1929, and some have claimed it is no longer fit for purpose in its current guise. F1 bosses have looked at ways to adapt the tight and twisty layout, but have made little progress. Verstappen kept his composure in the changeable conditions, and even survived a bump with the wall when the rain landed at Portier, to take his 39th win for Red Bull, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 victories for the grid’s all-conquering team. “If you have a good car you can break these numbers,” said Verstappen. “I never thought I would be in this position in my career. Growing up, I wanted to be a Formula One driver and I am now winning these races. It is amazing and better than I could have ever imagined.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fernando Alonso ready to pounce if Max Verstappen makes a slow start in Monaco Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in Monaco Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me