Alonso scores first points of the season
Circuit de MonacoThe Monaco Grand Prix, Round 6 of the Formula 1 season, took place at the Circuit de Monaco.
Fernando Alonso started from 21st and made progress on the opening lap, passing Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), who had started from the pit lane, Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who had been unable to start from second, Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) at Turn 1, and Oliver Bearman (Haas) at the Turn 6 hairpin to move up to 17th.
Lance Stroll, who started from 22nd, also moved up to 18th after four cars pitted at the end of the opening lap.
At the end of Lap 9, Sergio Perez (Cadillac), who had been running 16th, served a drive-through penalty, moving Alonso and Stroll up one place each to 16th and 17th. The two drivers then ran without major position changes until Lando Norris (McLaren) pitted and retired at the end of Lap 45. Alonso and Stroll gained another place, moving up to 15th and 16th.
On Lap 60, Stroll failed to make it through the final corner and retired, bringing out the Safety Car. At the restart, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) retired in similar fashion at the same corner. The race director then red-flagged the race to inspect damage to the resurfaced section of track before the final corner.
After the stoppage, the field was reformed behind the Safety Car, and the race resumed from the starting grid with a standing start on Lap 71. Alonso restarted from 14th and overtook Franco Colapinto (Alpine) down the inside at Turn 1 to move up to 13th.
Further confusion followed at the narrow Turn 6 hairpin. Alonso lost position to Perez, who dived down the inside, dropping him to 14th. At the same time, Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), running just ahead, made contact with the rear tyre of Carlos Sainz (Williams). Sainz slowed with damage, allowing Alonso to continue in 13th.
On Lap 73, George Russell (Mercedes) served a drive-through penalty, moving Alonso up to 12th, where he remained until the chequered flag.
After the race, 10-second penalties were handed to Hulkenberg and Perez, changing the final classification. Alonso was promoted to tenth, giving the team its first point of the season.
I took a lot of risk on lap one and at the restart, and just tried to consolidate whatever position we were in. It was so difficult out there today, but we went aggressive with the strategy, stopping on lap three, and we were thinking to go until the end of the race with just one stop. The red flag restart helped, and we made sure to take the opportunities that were available to us. So I think we managed the race quite well and it was a nice reward for everybody in the team to score our first point of the year.
I took a lot of risk on lap one and at the restart, and just tried to consolidate whatever position we were in. It was so difficult out there today, but we went aggressive with the strategy, stopping on lap three, and we were thinking to go until the end of the race with just one stop. The red flag restart helped, and we made sure to take the opportunities that were available to us. So I think we managed the race quite well and it was a nice reward for everybody in the team to score our first point of the year.
We’ve been dealing with these drivability issues all season, and it was the same again this weekend. The acceleration and deceleration just isn’t consistent, and it changes from one corner to the next. At most circuits you’ve got some run-off to work with, so you can manage it, but around here the walls are really close and any issue can put you into the barrier. That was also a big reason why I was getting picked up for track limits. We’ll take a closer look after the race, and the team will keep pushing for improvements ahead of Barcelona next week.
We’ve been dealing with these drivability issues all season, and it was the same again this weekend. The acceleration and deceleration just isn’t consistent, and it changes from one corner to the next. At most circuits you’ve got some run-off to work with, so you can manage it, but around here the walls are really close and any issue can put you into the barrier. That was also a big reason why I was getting picked up for track limits. We’ll take a closer look after the race, and the team will keep pushing for improvements ahead of Barcelona next week.
It proved to be a typical race of attrition in Monaco, which helped us progress to our best result of the year with Fernando in P10 – our first point scored with Honda. It was not an easy weekend, and the car has been difficult to drive, but we knew there could be opportunities, and we were there when it mattered at the end. The retirement of Lance is something we are investigating. He has been suffering with problems in the deceleration phase of corners, which seems to have contributed to the crash at Turn 19. The track breaking up may have played a part too.
It proved to be a typical race of attrition in Monaco, which helped us progress to our best result of the year with Fernando in P10 – our first point scored with Honda. It was not an easy weekend, and the car has been difficult to drive, but we knew there could be opportunities, and we were there when it mattered at the end. The retirement of Lance is something we are investigating. He has been suffering with problems in the deceleration phase of corners, which seems to have contributed to the crash at Turn 19. The track breaking up may have played a part too.
Overnight and into this morning we had many discussions with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team to prepare for all eventualities at the Monaco Grand Prix. Today was about adapting to the different situations that arose. Much of it was about working extremely closely with the team to give the drivers the correct power unit options they needed during the race. P10 is the best result for us so far this year, but it's down to the special circumstances surrounding Monaco and this isn't representative of our PU performance. However, this position is reflective of the hard work that went into this weekend alongside the team and drivers.
“Unfortunately, Lance suffered a race-ending accident, which the team is investigating. The drivers have experienced driveability issues all weekend, especially in the deceleration phase of the corners. We will continue to look into this with support from HRC Sakura.
Overnight and into this morning we had many discussions with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team to prepare for all eventualities at the Monaco Grand Prix. Today was about adapting to the different situations that arose. Much of it was about working extremely closely with the team to give the drivers the correct power unit options they needed during the race. P10 is the best result for us so far this year, but it's down to the special circumstances surrounding Monaco and this isn't representative of our PU performance. However, this position is reflective of the hard work that went into this weekend alongside the team and drivers.
“Unfortunately, Lance suffered a race-ending accident, which the team is investigating. The drivers have experienced driveability issues all weekend, especially in the deceleration phase of the corners. We will continue to look into this with support from HRC Sakura.
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