Monaco GP | Alonso can’t beat Verstappen in Monaco

The race, very similar to those held in the Principality, with hardly any chance of overtaking, has had few incentives until the rain has made an appearance in the final stretch. After the sensational spectacle they offered Verstappen and Alonso in the ‘qualification’ on Saturday, only the weather factor has added ‘spiciness’ to the race. Today Fernando had no option to attack Max, although he has won a valuable second place on the podium, completed by Esteban Ocon.

The strategy to attack Max

Verstappen has started with means, the same as Ocon, while Alonso and Sainz They have opted for a different strategy with the tough. The start was clean, with Max in front and Alonso keeping Ocon at bay. Hamilton put pressure on Sainz on the climb, but the man from Madrid held up very well.

Strollbehind in 14th position, he has touched with Albon and has returned to the box before completing the first lap. They have also stopped Hülkenberg and Pérez, last on the grid after his accident in the ‘qualy’ on Saturday. The Mexican has returned to the track with two positions won, although he is still far from entering the points zone.

touch of Sainz

Ocon’s tires began to degrade early and Sainz attacked the Frenchman, but with such force that he slightly impacted the Alpine and his front wing came off the hook. Ferrari has chosen to keep Carlos on track, trying to minimize damage and with a warning from the FIA ​​”for causing a collision”. Immediately after, it was Alonso who set off the alarm when he detected a graining problem on the left front wheel: Could it be a puncture? asked the restless Spaniard, who was already losing 6 seconds to Verstappen.

The radios of the teams have begun to warn of imminent rain. Sainz and Ferrari, twice, have thrown the ‘bait’ hinting at a pit stop but Ocon has not ‘bitten’ and has continued to manage his tires.

tension in Ferrari

Verstappen has begun to downgrade while he has found himself with a ‘train’ of doubled drivers, among whom was his teammate Pérez. Alonso, seeing the opportunity, has shot to ‘death’ to close the gap with the leader of Red Bull. Ocon lost time with a slow pit stop but Sainz was unable to take advantage of the situation to gain position as he went through the pits. Carlos has censured his team for a sterile tactic: “Why have you stopped me?”. From the wall of the Scuderia they have indicated that it was not so much about attacking Ocon but about protecting himself from Hamilton, who had 1.7 seconds behind: “I don’t care about Hamilton!” Sainz replied, furious.

The rain comes… and the chaos

With 26 laps to go, the first drops have begun to fall and the danger has skyrocketed on the asphalt of Monaco. No one dared to stop and the first to do so, Alonso, was unsuccessful when riding medium, while all his rivals opted for the wet Pirellis. The time margin of the Asturian pilot has allowed him to correct his mistake and return to the box without giving up position, while his teammate Stroll crashed even during the intermissions.

Alonso returned to the track 22 seconds behind Verstappen but with Ocon only 3.8 behind, while Sainz, very aggressive trying to overcome the Alpine under the deluge, has gone against the protections. The man from Madrid has been one of the ‘victims’ due to the chaos of stops, dropping to eighth position.

Fernando took extreme risks to drop Max by 3 seconds per lap, although the champion, with 17 seconds to spare, kept his cool in increasingly difficult race conditions, with a lot of water in the first two sectors of the circuit.

Russell, who was fifth behind his teammate Hamilton and ahead of Leclerchas received a 5″ penalty for his maneuver when joining the track. Stroll ended up getting out of the car to add his second abandonment of the season.

The 33 in Barcelona?

In the end, Verstappen, Alonso and Ocon have climbed to the podium in the Principality race, which will give way, without rest, to the event of the year for Alonso and Sainz, a Spanish Grand Prix that will be more exciting than ever next weekend of week. The stands of the Circuit de Barcelona will be packed and waiting for Alonso’s long-awaited 33rd victorywho got the last one on this stage ten years ago now and behind the wheel of a Ferrari.