Fernando Alonso had a very mixed weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix. The Spaniard improved his best finishing position of the season with a P2 finish. However, he failed to beat Max Verstappen after Aston Martin made a questionable strategy choice during the race. When asked about the decision, Alonso refused to answer Sky Sports and walked away while grinning.
Alonso started the race from second on the grid, behind Max Verstappen. He was consistent throughout the race and he managed to hold his position for the most part. However, the race got interesting when rain started pouring down on various sections of the track.
Another podium! P2 🏆 in Monaco!!!!
So happy after a difficult race, specially with the rain at the end!
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you 💚💚@AstonMartinF1 !!! pic.twitter.com/HQ4AJa26Jw— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) May 28, 2023
The rain created a chaotic situation and this was the chance for Fernando Alonso to catch Verstappen and overtake him. Aston Martin decided to take a gamble and called Alonso in to pit him for dry tires. The British constructor gambled that the rain will not worsen over time, hence justifying their call.
Fernando Alonso left with a grin when asked about the strategy
Unfortunately, the strategy call backfired. The weather did not get better and the rain worsened. This meant that Alonso was stuck out on the track with the wrong tyres fitted in.
Former F1 driver and current Sky Sports F1 Pundit Jenson Button caught up with Alonso after the race. He asked the Spaniard about Aston Martin’s decision and why the Spaniard did not wait for a few more laps before making the gamble. “Why did you decide to stop on that lap and not wait?” asked Button
Alonso refused to reply to the question. With a cheeky grin on his face, he returned the microphone back to the producer and left. Sky Sports host Simon Lazenby tried to manage the situation and said that Alonso had to leave, but the question will surely be picked up again in Barcelona.
Fernando Alonso has defended his team’s strategy calls
Fernando Alonso stood by his team and their decision at the Monaco Grand Prix. He explained how the race was not easy at all, and things got tricky when it started raining. He added that it was difficult to get the temperatures into the intermediate tires. They had also made a gamble by choosing the opposite tire to Verstappen at the start of the race, but even that did not work out for them.
Fernando Alonso took a dig at Jenson Button and told Sky Sports, “When I stopped, it was just raining in turns five and seven. The rest of the track was completely dry. If you are in P2 and put intermediates on for only two corners, maybe Jenson could guess that good!”
It is safe to say that the Spaniard does not have any regrets about how the weekend went for him. He is sticking by his team and this might pay dividends as the season progresses.
