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Max Verstappen saw off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in a scintillating qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso’s Aston Martin mechanics celebrated wildly after it appeared as though the 41-year-old Spaniard had taken his first pole in 11 years. F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix But Verstappen delivered a mesmerising final sector in Monte Carlo to take top spot with his final throw of the dice, beating Alonso by just 0.084 seconds. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari but received a three-place grid drop for impeding Lando Norris, so starts sixth with Esteban Ocon in third and Carlos Sainz fourth. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth for Mercedes, two places ahead of team-mate George Russell, but starts in fifth due to Leclerc’s penalty - with Sergio Perez set to start Sunday’s 78-lap race from last place after he crashed out. Follow updates from the Monaco Grand Prix with The Independent - the race starts at 2pm (BST). Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take stunning pole in Monaco Lewis Hamilton makes joyous revelation despite Monaco qualifying result

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suggested marshals had turned the Monaco Grand Prix into a circus act following their unusual removal of Lewis Hamilton’s car. Hamilton crashed out of final practice on Saturday after he lost control of his Mercedes under braking at Mirabeau. Hamilton’s stricken machine was hoisted high into the air by a crane, allowing photographers to capture the underbelly of the seven-time world champion’s upgraded machine. The car’s floor is a heavily guarded secret in Formula One, but Mercedes’ new design – which broke cover for the first time here in the principality – was put on show for their rivals to see. “Whoever performed the crane has probably worked for Cirque du Soleil before,” said Wolff. “Honestly, that I don’t even comprehend. The car was on the road. You could have put it on a truck. You’re showcasing a car to everyone in the world. That was suboptimal for us, to say the least.” Wolff added: “We should not thrash the stewards. Everybody is doing their best and I don’t want to be a team principal that lashes out at stewards who are doing their job.” After giving up on this season’s car on the eve of the opening race in Bahrain, Mercedes have spent the ensuing dozen weeks working on a new design philosophy. The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod concept and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a drastic change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton’s career. Mercedes are keen not to draw too many conclusions at this week’s unique Monte Carlo configuration – and believe the following round at the well-trodden Circuit de Catalunya venue on the outskirts of Barcelona will present them with a better understanding of where they stand. Hamilton starts fifth on Sunday following Charles Leclerc’s three-place grid penalty. George Russell lines up eighth in the other Mercedes. “This car is a son of a gun,” said Hamilton. “I was pushing so hard and overdriving which is the worst place to be. “If I underdrive, or I drive the car to its limit, we might not get into the top 10. But the upgrades were good this weekend, so I’m grateful for those.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fernando Alonso ready to pounce if Max Verstappen makes a slow start in Monaco Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in Monaco Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me

Fernando Alonso hopes he can take advantage of Max Verstappen’s inconsistent starts to end his 10-year wait for victory at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. The evergreen Alonso, 41, lines up behind Verstappen following an exhilarating qualifying session in the sun-cooked principality. Home favourite Charles Leclerc will be third on the grid for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell sixth and eighth respectively in their revamped Mercedes machines. Alonso took his last pole at the 2012 German Grand Prix, but he looked destined to end his 3,961-day losing streak when he moved to the top of the time charts in the closing stages. Verstappen was the only driver who could spoil the dreams of Alonso, and his Aston Martin mechanics, who had already celebrated wildly in the belief that their man had captured pole. Verstappen trailed Alonso by two tenths before he delivered a mesmerising final sector on the most famous streets in Formula One to take pole by just 0.084 seconds. “We will try to win,” said Alonso, who claimed his 32nd and final victory in Spain a decade ago. “We need some help from Max but I am not going to take it for granted. “It’s a very short run into Turn 1. We normally have a good start. Max is a bit inconsistent, so maybe he has one of those bad ones tomorrow.” Qualifying is crucial in Monte Carlo given how troublesome it is to pass at this tight and twisty venue. However, the omens are encouraging for Alonso. In the last seven years, the driver starting from second has won on more occasions than the man on pole. The last time Alonso started a race in Monaco from the front row – back in 2007 – he won. Rain could also be a factor. A victory for Alonso would be a popular one in the sport. But Verstappen’s team has won every race this season, and the Dutchman’s Red Bull is so often imperious over the course of a race distance, rather than a single lap. “I would like to see Fernando win,” admitted Verstappen. “But I would like to win, too, so we will see. “In qualifying you need to go all out and risk it all. My first sector wasn’t ideal in my final lap and I was a bit cautious, but then I knew I was behind so in the last sector I just gave it everything I had, clipping a few barriers along the way.” Further back, Mercedes were banking on their much-anticipated upgrade providing them with a springboard to challenge the grid’s all-conquering Red Bull team. But on its grand unveiling here, Hamilton was at odds with his new car. Hamilton, who earlier crashed in final practice on Saturday following a mistake at the right-hander Mirabeau, missed the chicane in the opening stage of qualifying – only avoiding an early bath with his final lap – before scrambling into Q3 after he grazed the wall at the swimming pool chicane. “Man this car is hard to drive,” said the seven-time world champion, who also reported there was “something wrong” with his right-rear suspension. He eventually finished 0.360 secs behind Verstappen, with team-mate Russell six tenths adrift. Sergio Perez is Verstappen’s closest championship challenger, but the Mexican will start Sunday’s 78-lap race at the back of the pack after he crashed out of qualifying. The running was just six minutes old when Perez – 14 points adrift of Verstappen in the standings – carried too much speed through the opening Sainte Devote corner and thudded into the wall before coming to a standstill in the middle of the circuit. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in Monaco Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton was joyous after qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, insisting he hadn’t enjoyed the race as much since 2008. The seven-time world champion, driving a new-look Mercedes this weekend, made an error and crashed towards the end of third practice on Saturday morning. But his car was repaired in time for a topsy-turvy qualifying session, with the 38-year-old sneaking through the opening two sessions before setting the sixth-fastest time in Q3. Yet despite the ‘midfield’ result, Hamilton revealed he has been in a “good frame of mind” all weekend and has “loved every second of the track” in the principality so far. “It’s been an amazing weekend,” said three-time Monaco winner Hamilton after qualifying. “I’ve loved every second of the track. More than ever! Haven’t enjoyed it as much since 2007, 2008, Formula 3 days. We’ve made some really good changes. “I’ve arrived here this weekend in a really good frame of mind. I feel really refreshed, I’ve loved the challenge of being in the car. I’m glad I didn’t break the new components! “Those changes have helped the feeling… going in the right direction. I don’t think we’ll get a full read of the sidepods until Barcelona when we’ll see the car come alive. Hamilton also took sole fault for the collision with the wall at the end of FP3. “The car felt like a real handful,” he said of his early running on Saturday. “Switching on the tyres was hard. A decision I took, against everyone’s judgement, and it made it hard. That’s as fast as our car could go, maybe a tenth better.” Max Verstappen snatched pole from Fernando Alonso in a thrilling end to qualifying, with Charles Leclerc third and Esteban Ocon a surprise name in fourth. Hamilton’s team-mate, George Russell, could only manage eighth for Sunday’s race, where rain could play a part. Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take stunning pole in Monaco Lewis Hamilton crashes in new Mercedes at Monaco Grand Prix practice Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it? F1’s Charles Leclerc drops huge hint about Lewis Hamilton’s potential future at Ferrari

Max Verstappen saw off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in a scintillating qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso’s Aston Martin mechanics celebrated wildly after it appeared as though the 41-year-old Spaniard had taken his first pole in 11 years. But Verstappen delivered a mesmerising final sector in Monte Carlo to take top spot with his final throw of the dice, beating Alonso by just 0.084 seconds. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, one spot ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon with Carlos Sainz fifth. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth for Mercedes, two places ahead of team-mate George Russell, with Sergio Perez set to start Sunday’s 78-lap race from last place after he crashed out. “I’m very happy,” said Verstappen. “We knew that this was going to be a little bit of a struggle to get everything together. “In qualifying you need to go all out and risk it all. “My first sector wasn’t ideal in my final lap and I was a bit cautious, but then I knew I was behind so in the last sector I just gave it everything I had, clipping a few barriers along the way. I am happy to be on pole here for the first time.” It has been 3,691 days since Alonso’s last pole in the sport and the rejuvenated Aston Martin driver looked on course to finally end his losing streak when he temporarily moved to the top of the time charts after declaring he was “pushing like an animal”. Verstappen was the only driver who could spoil both the dreams of Alonso and Aston Martin, and he trailed the Spaniard by two tenths heading into the final sector. But the double world champion danced his way through the final part of the circuit to finish clear of Alonso and claim a pole which he will be expected to convert into his fourth victory from the opening six rounds. Alonso said: “Obviously pole position means a lot in Monaco, but today Max was a little bit faster, which is a shame. “Let’s see what we can do tomorrow in terms of strategy and if there is any weather coming. We will try to win it. “It’s a very short run into Turn 1. We normally have a good start. Max is a bit inconsistent so maybe he has one of those bad ones tomorrow.” Mercedes were banking on their much-anticipated upgrade providing them with a springboard to challenge the grid’s all-conquering Red Bull team. But on its grand unveiling here in the sun-cooked principality, Hamilton was at odds with his new machine. The British driver, who crashed out of final practice following a mistake at the right-hander Mirabeau, missed the chicane in Q1, only avoiding an early bath with his final lap, before scrambling into Q3 after he grazed the wall at the swimming pool chicane. “Man this car is hard to drive, mate,” said the seven-time world champion, who also reported there was “something wrong” with his right-rear suspension. He finished four tenths behind Verstappen in Q3 with team-mate Russell six tenths adrift. Perez is Verstappen’s closest championship challenger, but the Mexican driver will start the race at the back of the pack. The running was just six minutes old when Perez – 14 points adrift of Verstappen in the standings – carried too much speed through the opening Sainte Devote corner and thudded into the wall. Perez sustained extensive damage to the left-hand side of his Red Bull before coming to a standstill in the middle of the circuit. “I crashed, I crashed,” said Perez, who now faces losing serious ground to Verstappen in the championship race with overtaking extremely challenging at this most unique of configurations. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled

A pharmacist has said that frequently rubbing your eyes can lead to more serious eye issues. Symptoms of hay fever, which is an allergic reaction to pollen, include sneezing, coughing, rashes, blocked noses, headaches, and itchy red eyes meaning it is natural to want to touch and rub your eyes in moments of discomfort. But community pharmacist Sultan Dajani, from eyecare brand Golden Eye, told The Mirror how allergies can cause more serious eye problems. Dajani said: "When we encounter an allergen, either from inhaling, swallowing, or simply by the skin coming into contact with it, the body goes into fighting mode and the immune system overreacts to the substance. "A protein known as IgE is produced to go after the allergen, and a chemical called histamine is released into the blood – and it is this that creates the symptoms commonly experienced. "So, in fact when we have these types of symptoms the body is functioning and doing its job to get rid of the allergen. "Though we need our body to react in this way, the symptoms themselves can really affect our general wellbeing, lowering our immune system and interrupting everyday activities." Dajani explained that frequently touching our eyes can open up the possibility for further eye problems or infections such as styes, conjunctivitis, or blepharitis. "Our hands come into contact with most things, from people to surfaces, making it easy to transfer bacteria and germs to our faces – and if we are reaching for our eyes, it’s easy for a simple rubbing of the eyes to develop into something else." Issues that could arise from this include a stye, which is a swollen lump on the eyelid or near the eyelashes. Dajani explained: "People tend to get more styes during allergy season. Allergies are known risk factors for styes. With the experience of itchy eye symptoms it can feel impossible not to rub them. One problem that could also be related to rubbing eyes is conjunctivitis, which is an infection of the eye often caused by a virus or bacteria. Blepharitis, when oil glands near the base of the eyelashes become clogged, leading to irritation and redness of the eyes, can also be triggered by continuous touching or rubbing of the eyes, Dajani said. Read More Why do we get hay fever and what are the symptoms? Should I keep my windows closed or open in hot weather? What is Stiff Person Syndrome? Signs and symptoms of Celine Dion’s incurable condition The symptoms of hay fever in adults explained 7 tips and tricks for hay fever relief Bear Grylls urges parents to let their children ‘set own rules’ on social media usage

CANNES Veteran directors Wes Anderson, Ken Loach and Wim Wenders are among those in the running for the