The Latest Breaking News from Aston Martin

Aston Martin, meanwhile, has shone with the ability of Fernando Alonso to out-brake rivals into corners and then jump back on the power early.

Aston Martin has shone with the ability of Fernando Alonso to out-brake rivals into corners and then jump back on the power early.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start the race from pole position after a stunning final sector effort in qualifying. He will be joined on the front row by Aston Martin's star driver Fernando Alonso, who looked set for pole until Verstappen's late heroics demoted him to second on the grid.

Red Bull driver Verstappen surged to his third pole of 2023 by just 0.084s with a remarkable late effort to usurp Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who had until the dying moments of the session looked set to claim his first pole since Hockenheim 2012. 

The Red Bull driver made a successful swoop for pole in the dying stages of Q3 to deny Alonso the chance of a first F1 pole since 2012, using the final corners to overturn a deficit of two tenths accrued in the opening pair of sectors.

The two-time champion headed a thrilling Q3 session at two points, but was pipped on both occasions by Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver's prowess in the final sector decided pole in his favour.

The two-time champion headed a thrilling Q3 session at two points, but was pipped on both occasions by Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver's prowess in the final sector decided pole in his favour.

The Dutchman overcame a two-tenth deficit to Alonso in the final sector to make a last-gasp swoop for the fastest time, his resulting 1m11.365s cementing his first pole position in qualifying at the Monte Carlo circuit.

The Dutchman overcame a two-tenth deficit to Alonso in the final sector to make a last-gasp swoop for the fastest time, his resulting 1m11.365s cementing his first pole position in qualifying at the Monte Carlo circuit.

Verstappen will start ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3.

Before the Monaco Grand Prix, weekend Honda announced it would return to F1 as a fully-fledged engine manufacturer by supplying works power units to Aston Martin from 2026, when F1 moves to new engine regulations with a higher degree of electrification and sustainable fuels.