Already winner of the second free practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix on Friday, Max Verstappen did it again on Saturday noon. A good omen before the qualifying session, scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Set back during the first qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has since taken his bearings. The double world champion, who won only once in the Principality (in 2021), set the best time in the following two sessions. After a time of 1’12″462 achieved on Friday afternoon, the Dutchman completed one of his 19 laps in 1’12″776 on Saturday noon. The Red Bull driver took his place at the top of the time sheet after about twenty minutes of session, and never left it. Previously, Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Lando Norris (McLaren) had the best time.
In the end, Max Verstappen was 73 thousandths ahead of Sergio Perez and 166 thousandths of Lance Stroll (Aston Martin). Ten minutes from the end, Kevin Magnussen stopped at the edge of the track, which earned a red flag, then a few minutes later, it was Lewis Hamilton who damaged his Mercedes by hitting the rail at Mirabeau , which resulted in a red flag, and the end of the session. The British champion’s single-seater was airlifted near Monegasque buildings, providing spectacular images.
FP3 CLASSIFICATION
Verstappen edges out team mate Perez ahead of qualifying 👀#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/t3byuDdVo9
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2023
Gasly and Ocon in the Top 10
On the French side, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon did not achieve sparks at the wheel of their Alpine, but ensured the blow by finishing sixth and ninth, six and seven tenths behind Verstappen. Charles Leclerc, uncomfortable driving his Ferrari, finished between the two, in seventh place just ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Although he is the one who has completed the most laps (24, tied with Perez and Gasly), Nyck de Vries closes the classification, finishing more than a second and a half behind his compatriot Verstappen. See you now at 4:00 p.m. for the qualifying session.
