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This is how Verstappen beat Fernando Alonso to win in Monaco in 2023
The Monaco Grand Prix is the next race on the F1 calendar. Max Verstappen won the last edition of the glamorous race from pole position, but it certainly wasn't easy in the changeable conditions the principality threw the drivers. Here's a look back at the Grand Prix that was almost won by Fernando Alonso.
The 2023 Monaco Grand Prix was the sixth GP of the F1 season. Red Bull Racing had got off to an excellent start with five wins from five races. Even the sprint race in Azerbaijan had been won by Red Bull Racing and so the team was leading in both the constructors and drivers titles respectively.
In Miami, Verstappen had taken a big lead in the championship. Perez started from pole position, but Verstappen still managed to win the race from P9. Perez had stated before Miami that he wanted to compete for the world championship. After Miami, his dreams were squandered.
Perez squanders his chances in Monaco
This was reflected again in Monaco. In the principality, Perez wanted to live up to his honour as 'king of the streets', but the opposite happened. Checo crashed in Q1 and therefore had to start from the back of the grid at the circuit where it is hardest to overtake. In addition, Perez's crash ensured that the underside of his RB19 was on display for all competitors to see, as it dangled from the crane in Monaco.
Although Red Bull Racing had been dominant in the Formula 1 season up to that point, Monaco was not the track where the RB19 was at its best. The kerbs, the bumpy nature of a street circuit and the slow corners did not help Red Bull extract the most out of their car. The Dutchman had to do something special to capture his first pole position in Monaco.
Verstappen drove a stunning Q3 lap, with the final sector being particularly impressive. In the first sectors, pole seemed to be Alonso's, but in the final part of the track, Verstappen went faster than everyone else and just pipped the Spaniard to pole position.
How Alonso missed out on a win in Monaco
As is well known in Monaco, overtaking is very difficult and it was no big surprise that Verstappen was in front. Alonso was able to stay somewhat close, though, and the rain showers forecast allowed Alonso to stay within Verstappen's 'pit window' and the Spaniard still had a chance of victory. In P3, Esteban Ocon did an excellent job at defending against Carlos Sainz.
Halfway through the race, the expected rain fell, but Aston Martin brought Alonso in for new mediums. A lap later, Alonso had to go in again for new intermediates. A calculation soon showed that a change to intermediates would have put Alonso ahead of Verstappen on the track, meaning Alonso and Aston Martin had lost a great chance of victory.
From the lead position, it was ultimately relatively easy for Verstappen to drive to victory. Alonso drove to second place with Ocon finishing third. For Sergio Perez, it was a day to quickly forget. With a 16th place, he lost a lot of ground in the championship in comparison to Verstappen.