Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2023 Results: Max Verstappen Beats Fernando Alonso to Win Race

Max Verstappen's blistering start to the 2023 Formula One season continued Sunday as he won the Monaco Grand Prix, notching his fourth win in six starts.

With his 39th career checkered flag, he moved ahead of Sebastian Vettel for the most ever by a Red Bull driver.

Verstappen claimed his first Monaco pole Saturday, edging out Fernando Alonso by just 0.084 seconds. He took full advantage of his starting position as he maintained a comfortable lead for nearly the entirety of the race.

Not even a brief flurry of rain could put much of a dent in his performance. If anything the weather allowed the 25-year-old to strengthen his hold on first place. Alonso's team had to call him back for a second tire change in rapid succession, eating up valuable time.

While he couldn't get within striking distance of Verstappen, Alonso nonetheless had a largely drama-free day. He cruised into second place ahead of Esteban Ocon.

Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and George Russell rounded out the top five.

Sergio Pérez entered Sunday in second place in the driver standings, but Sunday concluded a tough weekend. He started the Monaco Grand Prix in 20th after crashing during the first qualifying session.

Pérez needed to make an unscheduled trip to the pit on the 35th lap after contact Kevin Magnussen damaged his front wing.

The tight quarters of the Monaco track make it difficult to work your way up the field, so the setback was one Pérez could ill afford as he attempted to close the gap on his Red Bull teammate in the overall standings. He could only muster a 17th-place finish.

The 2023 campaign hasn't even hit the halfway mark, so a lot of things can change. But it certainly looks like this year will end just as last year did with Verstappen standing tall. He has wasted little time in building a sizable margin between him and the rest of the field.

The Spanish Grand Prix is the next stop for Formula 1.

Verstappen is the defending champion in Barcelona after ending Hamilton's five-year winning streak in 2022. He could very well make it five wins in seven this time next week.