RACE REPORT | F1 Monaco 2023

Max Verstappen further consolidated his lead in the F1 championship by triumphing ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Monaco Grand Prix, which was scuppered by a sudden rain shower during the race.

The reigning world champion was initially comfortably on course for victory until a downpour with 25 laps to go threatened to derail the prestigious race on the iconic streets of Monte Carlo. As a result, the entire field had to change to intermediate tyres. Despite scraping the wall several times, Verstappen kept his cool and secured his fourth win in six races, including his second triumph in Monaco. Verstappen's triumph increased his championship lead to 39 points over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

Unfortunately for Perez, Verstappen was caught twice and finished a disappointing 17th, resulting in a disastrous weekend for his title ambitions. Alonso's performance for Aston Martin, while commendable, was never a real threat to Verstappen. He achieved his best result of the season with a second place, which marked his fifth podium finish in six races.

Aston Martin, however, missed an opportunity to potentially surpass Verstappen's placing. When it started to rain, they decided to send Alonso to the pits on dry tyres, only to bring him back a few laps later and change to intermediate tyres. Esteban Ocon of Alp turned his impressive qualifying lap into a podium finish, securing third place. He managed to hold off Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Ferrari experienced setbacks during a flurry of pit stops for wet tyres, causing both its drivers to fall behind the Mercedes pair. Charles Leclerc, the home favourite, was unable to push on and settled for sixth place. Pierre Gasly squeezed his Alpine car between the two Ferraris to claim a respectable seventh place. Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, expressed his dissatisfaction with his team's strategy and finished the race in eighth place.