2023 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix highlights

Hear from Fernando, Lance and Team Principal Mike Krack following a dramatic 2023 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, which was affected by a late rain shower, as the AMF1 Team equalled its highest finishing position of second.

Fernando secured second in the Monaco Grand Prix in a very tense race on the famous street circuit, while Lance produced some bold overtakes from his difficult starting position.

The rain came towards the end of the 78-lap race, meaning that a race with what was expected to be a straightforward one-stop strategy was turned completely on its head.

Fernando came through to take his best finish of the season, while Lance’s day sadly came to an early end.

At the end of a thrilling weekend, Fernando, Lance and Mike share their thoughts at the weekend in Monaco.

Fernando Alonso

I’m thrilled with this result. The race was not easy, and the rain made it difficult for everybody and strategically risky. I don’t think the extra stop [first Mediums, then Intermediates] affected the result.

It’s always hard to read the race from the cockpit, but on the lap I stopped, the track was completely dry apart from Turns Seven and Eight – so why fit Inters, especially when it felt like a small shower, and we had plenty of margin behind us? So it was the right decision and extra safe: but a minute and a half later, it was a completely different situation!

There was no chance to win today – wet or dry- but we raced aggressively and tried to win. We hoped Max would suffer greater degradation on the Mediums, but he did 50 laps at an amazing pace. But we’re getting closer – let’s not forget that. Now to Spain!

Lance Stroll

In all honesty, this wasn’t a race to remember. The first lap was pretty eventful – a lot of crashing and carbon fibre flying everywhere! Those clashes left the car with a fair amount of damage, but I could still have a go at some of the cars in front. And I pulled off a couple of passes, which was fun.

But I struggled a little to get the car slowed down even before the rain; when it started raining, the brake issues meant I couldn’t stop the car. I think I hit the wall about five times out there, but it just wasn’t my day.

Congratulations to Fernando for an excellent result – I’ll aim for a points finish at Barcelona next weekend. I’m already looking forward to Spain.

Mike Krack, Team Principal:

Starting from the front row and finishing second with Fernando in the Monaco Grand Prix is a tremendous result for the whole team – and a significant marker for how far we’ve travelled together. This was a difficult race to manage: we fitted Fernando with the Hard compound, hoping to use the strategy to jump Max [Verstappen] later in the race.

Then the rain came! Initially, the downpour wasn’t too heavy, and we fitted Mediums because an old, worn Hard tyre is tough to manage on a wet track. The rain immediately increased, and switching to Intermediates was the logical choice, just a lap later. That made no difference to the result – we wouldn’t have caught Max anyway. Fernando drove magnificently in treacherous conditions to equal AMF1 Team’s best-ever result – bravo.

Lance struggled with damage after a couple of hits on lap one, but he drove with a good amount of verve, overtook a couple of cars and was battling hard. That was great to see. He correctly judged the switch to Inters but was managing the brakes in the wet and lost his front wing after a tangle with the barriers. Starting 14th, it would be a tricky race for Lance – but he kept his head up throughout.

Now we go to Spain – with the aim of getting both cars in the points once again!

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team best pictures:

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

Portrait, Circuit de Monaco, GP2306a, F1, GP
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin F1 Team

action, Circuit de Monaco, GP2306a, F1, GP, Monaco
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23

Podium, Portrait, Circuit de Monaco, GP2306a, F1, GP
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 2nd position, celebrates with his trophy

action, TS-Live, Circuit de Monaco, GP2306a, F1, GP, Monaco
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team in the Press Conference

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