Formula 1: Red Bull's Max Verstappen beats Fernando Alonso to win rain-affected Monaco Grand Prix
May 28, 2023
Monte Carlo [Monaco], May 28 : Max Verstappen kept Red Bull's 2023 winning record intact by overcoming a rain shower in the closing stages of the Monaco Grand Prix, leading home Aston Martin rival Fernando Alonso and the Alpine of Esteban Ocon.
Verstappen dominated the race from start to finish and won the Monaco Grand Prix. Verstappen made a clean start to preserve his pole position and lead over Alonso into the first corner, with the Red Bull on medium starting tyres and the Aston Martin using hards. Rain disrupted the race, but Verstappen jumped on some Intermediate tyres and won.
The world champion produced a great lap to put his Red Bull on pole on Saturday. He won his second race at Monaco, and his second in three years, after an hour and 50 minutes of superb driving. After six rounds, he leads the Drivers' Championship with 39 points.
However, as the race progressed and their one-and-only pit stops neared, a rain shower hit the track, producing a flurry of off-track excursions, scrapes with the barriers, and pit lane action.
Alonso pitted with just a piece of the track that was wet and originally ran on mediums, but as the rain intensified, he was pushed back in for intermediates, which the rest of the field quickly followed. Lewis Hamilton started the race in fifth, and made one place to take fourth in his Mercedes.
Alonso's advantage over the rest of the leading runners, all of whom had pitted save Russell, meant he kept second position, while Ocon reclaimed third place, which he had held from the start but lost as the pit-stop time began before the rain began.
After changing tyres, Alonso came down on Verstappen swiftly, decreasing his lead by five seconds in as many circuits while also lapping seconds quicker than any other driver in the field.
Esteban Ocon of France finished third in his Alpine for his maiden podium result, nine seconds behind Alonso. Sergio Perez, Verstappen's teammate and closest challenger for the world title, finished 16th after falling out in qualifying and started from the rear of the grid.
Lewis Hamilton started fifth and finished fourth in his Mercedes, which also featured the best lap of the race to gain a bonus point.
Verstappen, on the other hand, proceeded to pull away again and eventually won the race.
