Christian Horner in MASSIVE Max Verstappen verdict after Monaco Grand Prix pole

Red Bull

Horner in MASSIVE Verstappen verdict after Monaco Grand Prix pole

Christian Horner has declared Max Verstappen's pole lap at Monaco his "best ever" after a stunning effort saw him beat Fernando Alonso

Dan McCarthy

Saturday 27 May 2023 19:02 Updated: 22:32

Christian Horner says Max Verstappen drove his "best ever" qualifying lap in Monaco after a Herculean effort saw him pip Fernando Alonso to pole position.

The Red Bull man was on the limit as time was running out on the street circuit in a thrilling Q3 session.

Aston Martin thought they had snatched pole position under Fernando Alonso, who is looking to win his first race for ten years

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Verstappen proved why he is the current number one driver on the grid though, pulling out a mega last second to beat Alonso by just under a tenth of a second.

Was that Max Verstappen's greatest qualifying lap EVER? 🚀

Christian Horner thinks so! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fGOAOcAZDz
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 27, 2023

"I'm elated for Max. It was probably the best qualifying lap of his career," beamed the Red Bull boss when speaking to Sky Sports F1.

"When he came into the swimming pool, he was 0.2 seconds. All that time through the last sector. I think he hit the wall on both sides. He carried the speed and momentum and I could see him gaining the time."

Mixed afternoon for Horner after Perez shunt

Verstappen's lap was unexpected in many ways with Red Bull expected to be reeled in by the likes of Aston Martin and Ferrari.

It looked as though Alonso was going to roll back the years while Charles Leclerc put on a strong display as well.

Verstappen's pole puts him in the box seat for Sunday's race but team-mate Sergio Perez will be experiencing different emotions after a crash saw him dumped out of Q1.

Perez will start from the back after this incident

Horner said his emotions were neither high or low after Perez's incident, where he became the latest victim of the Sainte Devote wall.

"For Checo unfortunately, it was a mistake too early in Q1," Horner added. "I could only think he was distracted by the Alpine on the right-hand side. He’ll be kicking himself for that."