Monaco grand prix

The 2023 F1 Monaco Grand Prix was a thrilling and dramatic race that saw Max Verstappen retain his f1 standings and take his fourth win of the season in wet conditions.

The Red Bull driver started from pole position and led every lap, but had to survive a late rain shower and two brushes with the barriers to secure his first victory in Monte Carlo. Behind him, Fernando Alonso scored his best result since his comeback with Aston Martin, finishing second after a bold strategy gamble.

Esteban Ocon completed the podium for Alpine, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were fourth and fifth for Mercedes. In this article, we will review the highlights and results of the 2023 F1 Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most iconic and challenging races on the calendar

2023 F1 Standings Monaco – 26th May to 28th May

Max started on pole and despite a few scary moments with the rain dominated the lead position to a final win,

He took a calculate and well thought out gamble to extend his stint on the medium tires to cover off the looming rain threat.

It was made easier in that Alonso pitted before the rain and switched his hard tires to mediums. The rain came and he immediately went back into the pits changing to intermediate tires.

Fernando did not have a car capable of matching Max’s Red Bull at the start of the race and Max was able to build a comfortable buffer in front.

Alonso seemed to have handling and there were worries over a puncture – although his team informed him there was nothing to worry about.

2023 F1 Standings Monaco – Max Had The Race Sewn Up By Lap 25

Monaco Max Verstappen

BY lap 25 Max’s lead over Alonso was a mighty 11.8s.

Max arrived at the back markers and had to lap them (which also included Sergio Perez who has a horrible grand prix after his crash in Qualy).

The gap shrunk to 5.6s, but then began to grow once Fernando came across the same problem.

Despite the predicted rain Red Bull chose to postpone pitting  Max.

As the rain became heavier, particularly in the middle sector, several of the back markers switched to intermediate tires.

2023 F1 Standings Monaco – Aston Martin Made The Wrong Tire Choice

Alonso pitted on lap 54 and the team made the confusing decision to switch the mediums and not the intermediates that seemed to be the correct call

He was forced to pit again on the next lap which added  20s to his lap time.

After that Max never allowed the gap between him and Alonso to be less than 17.8s.

Esteban Ocon crossed the line in a coveted 3rd position – his first in F1. He achieved this even though Calos Sainz was putting him under real pressure. converted his third-place. I wonder if Lawrence Stroll ever regrets switching Lance into the driver’s seat when he kicked Esteban out?

On the 52nd tour, Sainz had the only chance to pass Esteban as the rain had emerged but slid off at the Nouvelle Chicane and had to give way.

2023 F1 Standings Monaco – Esteban Ocon Achieved His First F1 Podium

That left Lewis Hamilton behind Ocon then, but Esteban showed his maturity and held firm to keep hold of a podium place.

Lewis finished 4th in front of George Russel who had given up an almost assured 3rd place when he overcooked the corner  at Mirabeau. For his troubles he was penalized with a 5 second penalty  for rejoining the circuit unsafely at Mirabeau. This happened after he slid off and reversed into the path of Sergio Perez. They made contact but were able to continue.

George ended in 5th position having been able to maintain sufficiently ahead of Charles Leclerc for the penalty to not impact the results and ensured he kept fifth.

2023 F1 Standings Monaco – Ferrari Are Still Struggling With Strategy

Charles overtook team-mate Sainz as they were scrambling around on medium tires prior to their pitstop – and a double-stack to swiftly bring the SF-23s onto intermediates hurt Sainz further.

Carlos Sainz finished behind Pierre Gasly, whom he could not pass despite trying very hard.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the point-scorers.

PositionDriverTeamLapsTime/RetiredPts
1Max VerstappenRed Bull7848:52.025
2Fernando AlonsoAston Martin78+27.921s18
3Esteban OconAlpine78+36.990s15
4Lewis HamiltonMercedes78+39.062s13
5George RussellMercedes78+56.284s10
6Charles LeclercFerrari78+61.890s8
7Pierre GaslyAlpine78+62.362s6
8Carlos SainzFerrari78+63.391s4
9Lando NorrisMcClaren77+1 lap2
10Oscar PiastriMcLaren77+1 lap1
11Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo77+1 lap0
12Nyck De VriesAlphatauri77+1 lap0
13Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo77+1 lap0
14Alexander AlbonWilliams77+1 lap0
15Yuki TsunodaAlphatauri76+2 laps0
16Sergio PerezRed Bull76+2 laps0
17Nico HulkenbergHaas76+2 laps0
18Logan SargeantWilliams76+2 laps0
19Kevin MagnussenHaas70DNF0
NCLance StrollAston Martin53DNF0

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References

F1 Official Web Site

By Jonny Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Jonny Noble I’m a dedicated F1 Writer – and I’ve Been One for Over Four Decades, I’ve been intimately immersed in the world of Formula One for more than 44 years. That’s longer than most professional commentators can boast! As an independent writer, I offer a unique perspective on the entire F1 landscape, free from biases that might cloud the discussion. We dive deep into the exhilarating, frustrating, and captivating facets of the F1 universe. So, regardless of my amateur status, one thing is undeniable: four decades of dedicated F1 fandom have forged strong opinions worth exploring!