Hamilton pipped to pole by Alonso

The reigning world champion pipped the current leader by less than two tenths of a second around the tight, twisty street circuit of Monte Carlo.

In clocking a time of one minute 15.726 seconds, Alonso clinched the 16th pole of his career and will now look for the win to close the two-point gap to Hamilton at the top of the standings.

It is the first time this season McLaren have locked out the front row as Ferrari have dominated all four of the previous races, and it is their first pole since the Italian Grand Prix of last year.

This was not Ferrari's day as Felipe Massa, who had claimed pole in the last three races, will start third, while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen is down in 15th.

Most of the drama unfolded in Q2, with Raikkonen clipping a barrier as he exited the swimming pool complex, breaking the front-right wishbone of his car.

The Finn then hammered the kerb as he tried to keep it on the track, and there then followed the remarkable sight of Raikkonen stopping at La Rascasse. It was virtually an instant replay of a Ferrari being parked at the famous turn as Michael Schumacher did likewise a year ago.

However, Schumacher's was deemed deliberate by race stewards as he attempted to clinch pole, while 2005 Monaco-winner Raikkonen was simply unable to make the corner.

With yellow flags waving, Massa then almost ran into his team-mate as he turned into La Rascasse, with the Finn attempting to reverse in a bid to return to the garage. The 27-year-old eventually limped into the pits but there was not enough time for the mechanics to make the necessary repairs.

Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella will start in fourth, with the Williams of Nico Rosberg fifth and Mark Webber's Red Bull sixth, followed by the Saubers of Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica.