F1: Not even the rain worries Verstappen in Monaco and Alonso finishes second

The Spaniard looked for the mistake of the current champion and the water created chaos, but victory was impossible

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“You are not disappointed,” he claimed. Fernando Alonso to their mechanics after qualifying and, after the race in Monaco, the message was still valid. After four podium finishes in third place this season, the Spaniard moved up a notch this Sunday: second. More was impossible. Victory, the long-awaited victory, that 33rd victory, was impossible. Since max verstappen he took pole position, his was the success, only a mistake could take it from him. And despite everything, despite the narrowness of the Monte Carlo circuit, despite the rain, the reigning champion never failed, perfect, firm. [Narracin y estadsticas]

They reached the finish line just as they started, although there were several moments in which the order could have changed. In fact, everything was about to blow up. With 30 laps to go, the rain – which had been threatening the Principality for hours – began to fall and the race, so calm until then, went crazy. Alonso gambled: he entered the garage and came out with dry tires. The idea? That the sky would clear quickly. If he had been right, if Aston Martin had been right, May 28, 2023 would have been a memorable day for the Spaniard. But it was not so. Instead of stopping, the drizzle turned into a downpour and Alonso had to visit the garage a second time. Fortunately for him, his advantage with the third, Esteban OconIt was exaggerated. Unfortunately for him, his mistake took him away from Verstappen permanently.

Until then the Aston Martin leader had played with distance in the best of ways. With a somewhat different strategy -Alonso had hard tires, Verstappen, medium-, the Spaniard contained the current champion so that he could not go through the pits without losing position. Getting close and passing him was a pipe dream, but at least it forced his miss. With the help of several lapped riders, he got to within just five seconds of the race, but his failure in the rain ended the excitement. “You are not disappointed,” Alonso asked after qualifying and, after the race, his claim kept the sense. A second place in Monaco, an excellent result.

Sainz the great victim

In fact, despite the water, there were only two dropouts –Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll– and the streets of Monte Carlo hardly kept exciting moments. If the grid is reviewed, only two pilots lost the position: the two Ferraris. And the most affected was Carlos Sainz, who started fourth and finished eighth. His career was a disaster that could have ended worse, but also much, much better. From the first laps he was hampered by Ocon, who stopped everyone behind Verstappen and Alonso, and although he tried he could not pass him. Ferrari missed the strategy to overtake the Frenchman in the garages and he missed on the water when he was able to overtake him on the track.

In fact, among the chaos caused by the pit stops to change tires, Sainz was up to third, but a spin caused him to lose several positions. lewis hamiltonroom; George Russellfifth; charles leclerc, sixth; and even Pierre Gasley, seventh they finished ahead. His disappointment on the radio was notable. From behind, ‘Checo’ Pérez finished sixteenth, with no chance of a comeback, and the World Cup was complicated.