F1. Monaco 2023 review

By Chelsea Wintle, Aiden McLaughlin and Gavin Huet

Driver of the day

Gavin – Esteban Ocon is the only contender, not just because this is only his third podium, but because so far this year the Alpine has been so out of sorts that even their CEO Laurent Rossi came out in the media a couple of weeks ago and said it is not good enough. Rossi would probably tell you his words worked therefore job done, but that is a risky strategy as the team and the drivers were being put under a lot of pressure. Monaco is a difficult track to make any passes so the qualifying is really important, Ocon was helped by Charles Leclerc being given a three place penalty to sixth, and the Ferrari strategy (more on that later) with Carlos Sainz breathing down his neck. But he survived all of that and the rain chaos and has shown just what the Alpine can do. Esteban even tried putting Max Verstappen under pressure on the first corner of the race, something not even Fernando Alonso was willing to do. I have no idea where Alpine have suddenly gotten some pace from (Pierre Gasly would have finished higher than seventh if it was not for some bad strategy choices) but it will be interesting to see if it is still there next weekend.

Aiden – At Monaco you need to keep your head – although there’s not many obvious overtaking opportunities, it’s my favourite race as the drivers are challenged mentally throughout the short 3.337km circuit. Max Verstappen drove well from the front, Fernando Alonso was great in second and Lewis Hamilton drove an understated race to finish P4, but Esteban Ocon finishing third was the performance of the day for me. Alpine have been under pressure to lift their game and with everyone knowing the importance of qualifying at Monaco, for Ocon to qualify fourth (subsequently starting third after Charles Leclerc’s grid demotion) was a huge achievement. To subsequently hold that position on Sunday was a challenge, but Ocon stood up well, especially under the pressure from Carlos Sainz (and a touch of luck when George Russell got distracted by a yellow flag and ended up on the Mirabeau escape road) to score the first French podium place at Monaco since Olivier Panis won in 1996.

Chelsea – Esteban Ocon played a blinder in qualifying, and took out a well-deserved final spot on the podium. Certainly Monaco makes overtaking difficult, but that shouldn’t take away from Ocon’s performance – holding off a ballsy attack from Carlos Sainz, and managing his tyres in the rain to hold strong for the finish.

Moment of the weekend 

Gavin – The rain arriving and Aston Martin choosing not to give Fernando Alonso the intermediate tyres. At that stage Fernando was running second and this was his chance, though very slight, to take the lead from Max Verstappen. The radio messages show that Fernando was questioning the choice, and the team admitted afterwards that they got it wrong, so wrong that Fernando had to come in on the next lap to finally get those intermediates on. Formula 1 is a sport of fine margins, if Fernando stayed out for one more lap he would have had the intermediates on first time, if the weather had changed he could have been romping to victory as almost everyone would have had to change tyres again. Fernando has been keen to play down this incident but he knows there was a chance there.

Aiden – Verstappen’s final qualifying lap on Saturday, especially his third and final sector, was simply sensational. He was two-tenths of a second down on Alonso after the first two sectors, yet somehow managed to claw back the deficit and edge ahead by 0.084s when he crossed the line to take pole position. In a season where he has been able to take race victories without necessarily being on pole, safe in the knowledge that his car is the best, he knew this circuit is different, pole is vital, and showed his quality accordingly.

Chelsea – Lance Stroll playing bumper cars with the wall was my favourite. The rain brought all manner of excitement, but Stroll’s kerfuffle – to use the technical term – was the most relatable. A day to forget for him for sure.

Hot take of the weekend 

Gavin – The Sergio Perez title challenge is over barely after it began. A crash in qualifying meant he started from the back of the grid whilst Max claimed pole position. Red Bull tried everything, he was pitted after one lap and put on the hard tyres with the hope that he could run to the end of the race but then he got stuck behind Lance Stroll (who was also having a weekend to forget). Sergio had to pit again to change his front wing after colliding with Kevin Magnussen, and then he crashed again during the rain. In the end he pitted five times and never got the break he was so desperate for. Max has not yet won the championship, there are still a lot of laps to go before that happens, but he is in control of it now and I just cannot see it changing any time soon. His drive this weekend was one of pure dominance, from the last sector in qualifying to claim pole position to brushing, and sometimes hitting, the barriers in the race. We are witnessing a driver at the very top of his craft. If you think Formula 1 is boring, predictable, and just a procession, then maybe you should stick to watching the Crusaders win Super Rugby again this season.

Aiden – Sergio Perez’s crash in qualifying and Lance Stroll’s lacklustre weekend tell me two things; despite what the bookies think, I’m going to pick Alonso to be championship runner-up behind Verstappen. Less hot is that Mercedes will be runner-up in the Constructors championship. Yes, Perez will probably win more races than Alonso, but he’s still vulnerable due to his inconsistency and propensity to make errors. Equally, Stroll’s gap to his superior team-mate is letting the well balanced Mercedes drivers hunt Aston Martin down and suddenly the gap is only one point…

Chelsea – Fernando Alonso put on a brave face to reporters, but he must have been fuming after betting on slicks just in time for the downpour. He managed to pit again for the change and retain his second position, but what might have happened without that second stop? Probably not much. But still.

Cold take of the weekend 

Gavin – The Ferrari strategy calls are still not working. Carlos was in fourth following Esteban and trying to get past for a podium finish. “Box box” and then “Stay out” and then “Box box” and then “Stay out” came the radio messages. When Ferrari finally did get Carlos in, his chances of that podium were gone and he was not hiding his frustration over the team radio. Then the rain hit, and while the other teams were throwing on intermediate tyres the Ferraris stayed out a lap longer and then had to come in together, double stacking to get the tyres on. Carlos then spun out in the rain and ended eighth with Charles finishing sixth. In the post race interviews Charles was at pains to say it was not a strategy mistake, but he was not fooling anyone. The Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has only been in the role since the start of the year and he has to be given time to build the team around the vision that won him the job. If I was one of the Ferrari strategists I would be a bit nervous right now.

Aiden – “I don’t think we did anything wrong. I learned that you can’t force it. I must be patient,” isn’t the most exciting quote you’ll ever hear, but with Nyck de Vries under pressure to keep his Alpha Tauri seat, finishing twelfth, three places above teammate Yuki Tsunoda, was as good a weekend as he could have hoped for. Consistency and preferably points are the next steps for de Vries as Liam Lawson lies in wait. Any less and expect a change with the Kiwi flying high.

Chelsea – I don’t want to admit it, but I think the championship race is as good as over. I’d been harbouring fantasies of a 2016-style Checo/Max scrap to the end, but Checo crashing out in Q3 leaves him 39 points behind. Even at this stage of the season, it’s hard to see Max doing anything but extend his lead from here. That being said, there’s still plenty to watch throughout the grid, and I can’t wait to see where this season goes next.

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