The reigning F1 world champion performed flawlessly on the streets of Monte Carlo while others failed, most notably his teammate and main title contender Sergio Perez which crashed in the first part of qualifying and finished a modest 16th.
Monaco was cited as Alonso’s best chance to end Red Bull’s runaway train, but key pit calls and times did not fall for him on the way in the Aston Martin, despite still being able to secure his best result of the season in second place.
PLUS: Why Alonso and Aston called, which guaranteed Verstappen victory in Monaco
Alpine‘S Esteban Ocon was arguably the star of the weekend, finishing third in qualifying and finishing in the same position for the third podium of his F1 career. Given the recent tensions within the team, the result couldn’t have come at a better time.
Meanwhile at Ferrari It was another frustrating day with Carlos Sainz slip from four to eight Charles Leclerc couldn’t make progress from sixth while Mercedes garnered attention with its major upgrade package, which received a positive initial report from the team.
Podcast host Martyn Lee joins Matt Kew and Stuart Codling who were in Monaco to witness the action and analyze how the Monaco GP was won and lost.