We take a quick look back at the most recent race of the season in our post, F1 Review Monaco 2023.

The Monaco Grand Prix is the most grandiose race of the Formula 1 calendar. However, the narrow streets of Monaco usually make it the most boring race to watch. While all eyes were on qualifying, the race featured a number of surprises that made it one of the more exciting Grand Prix this year.

Follow Double Apex on Instagram and Facebook where we share more car content.

Verstappen vs Alonso

Alonso went all out to put his Aston Martin on pole for the race on Sunday. While the Spanish legend went quickest in all three sectors, Max Verstappen managed to snatch pole position on his final run.

While Alonso had a great start, Max had him covered into turn 1. The Aston Martin was on a completely different strategy, starting with the hard compound tyre. Alonso remained behind Max in P2 for the entire race but came into the pits to change to tyres before the race leader.

A lap later, the rain started to fall, and Alonso had to come into the pits again to change to intermediate tyres. This threw away around 20 seconds of time and put the two-time world champion around 25 seconds behind Verstappen.

Click here to read how much it’ll cost to attend the Monaco F1 GP from SA.

Mercedes Shines In The Rain

When the rain started to fall, George Russell was sitting in P3 and was yet to pit. This opened the door for him to change to intermediate tyres and get the jump on most of the field. Lewis Hamilton had already made his stop but followed Russell into the pits, resulting in Mercedes securing P4 and P5.

Russell made a few errors, allowing Hamilton to claim P4. While Hamilton closed the gap to Estaban Ocon in P3, the narrow streets of Monaco proved too complex to snatch the final spot on the podium.

Ocon’s Podium

Ocon had an incredible race, running at his own pace and keeping Carlso Sainz and Hamilton behind to secure the final spot on the podium. In the first stint, Sainz pushed Ocon to the limit and even broke his front wing trying to make an overtake.

When Mercedes managed to jump Ferrari in the rain, Ocon was under immense pressure from Hamilton for the last 20 laps. While Hamilton managed to close the gap from four seconds to 0,5 seconds, it wasn’t enough to claim P3 from the French driver. This is a commendable achievement for Alpine and is the first podium of the year for the French team.

Click here to read a more detailed account of the 2023 Monaco F1 GP.