Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen denied Fernando Alonso a sensational Monaco Grand Prix pole, while his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez crashed out of qualifying early on.

Sat fifth in the Q1 rankings after his first flying lap, Perez came in hot at Ste Devote and was unable to catch a massive side, the contact with the outside barrier wrecking the RB19’s left rear suspension and leaving a hole in its sidepod.

This naturally caused a red flag – and, despite Perez having set a time, even a nominal passage to Q2 was soon out of the question, with his F1 peers rapidly relegating him to the back once the session had resumed.