Formula 1 Monaco 2023: Verstappen, Alonso or Leclerc

Qualifying in Monaco was a real thriller. Many teams had further reworked their cars and hoped to have made a step forward with it. For Mercedes, the whole thing seemed to have backfired, judging by the Silver Arrows' placings - Hamilton in 6th and Russell in 8th. All Formula 1 fans are aware that Red Bull seems invincible this season, but Perez seems to have let that get into his head. He steered his car into the barrier in Q1 after crossing the finish line in the first corner, the Sainte Dévote. Conclusion: car scrap and Red Bull one driver less for the win. That helps the competition, of course. Charles Leclerc has long dreamed of winning in his home country, but this season the chances are not good either. He did manage third place in qualifying, despite struggling badly with the Ferrari, but he was also penalized three places back after his slow drive in the tunnel impeded Lando Norris. Now he starts from 6th place. Very annoying. The surprise of the day was the Alpine team with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who finished fourth and 7th respectively. The improvements have brought the team within striking distance of the really big teams. They could cause a real surprise tomorrow. The great exchange of blows between Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen are a good omen for tomorrow's race. One after the other delivered a new best time. In the end, a measly 0.084 seconds separated the two. That guarantees real suspense. And it's good for the Formula 1 circus that Aston Martin has now joined Red Bull and Ferrari in the fight for victory. That makes the race all the more exciting. The start on Sunday and the turn into the Sainte Dévote tomorrow will decide who will lead the race and perhaps also win. We're looking forward to it.