Formula 1 Monaco GP
Alonso will "attack more than any other weekend" in Monaco
Fernando Alonso has vowed to "attack more than any other weekend" in Monaco, where Red Bull's typical 2023 Formula 1 dominance over its rivals is reduced by the track layout.
Alex Kalinauckas
Edited: May 26, 2023, 3:04 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Alonso has finished third four times heading into the Monaco event since joining Aston Martin, the green team currently sitting 122 points back as Red Bull's nearest challenger in the constructors' standings.
Although Red Bull has made a perfect start to the current campaign, there is a significant chance it could come unstuck in Monaco thanks to the unique challenge posed by the tight street circuit layout, where overtaking is close to impossible and so favouring any rival that might start ahead of Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez.
Although Red Bull heads into the event as the favourite, rain threatening to fall over the weekend could pose another challenge to its drivers, as both need to complete perfect runs to maintain their intra-team title challenges.
Alonso said "I don't care" about whether he would prefer to be racing in dry or wet conditions, as occurred in 2022, this weekend, but when asked how confident he felt about success this time around in Monaco in the pre-event press conference, he replied: "I think the same as any other race, to be honest.
"We are not thinking that we are the strongest in Monaco. I don't think that it's going to be a huge change compared to Baku, which is [also] a street circuit. Miami [too].
"Ferrari was outstanding in Baku – we could see another great weekend for them here.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
"But then, if I tell you that I don't come here thinking that I can win the race, I would lie to you. Because this is a one-off opportunity.
"We know Monaco, Singapore – there are specific race tracks that you need to gain the confidence in the free practice, get closer and closer to the walls.
"And yeah. I will attack more than any other weekend."
Alonso also highlighted Red Bull's less-than-perfect reliability record so far in F1 2023 as another potential path to a Monaco victory, as he reckons "you never know" how that might impact the chances for Verstappen and Perez at a race where he has won twice, in successive years in 2006 and 2007 for Renault and McLaren respectively.
Read Also:
- Perez: Red Bull F1 will "struggle to show its strengths" in Monaco
- Verstappen: Honda's Aston Martin F1 move "a bit of a shame"
- Vasseur rubbishes rumours about Ferrari making Hamilton F1 offer
"I think they are better than everyone else, they did a better job, they are dominating the season and they deserve it," Alonso continued.
"For us, it's just a gift what we're achieving at the moment. We didn't expect to be in this position so we're enjoying every weekend.
"But, yeah, there are a couple of weekends like this one that I come here thinking I will try to win.
"Maybe it's our worst weekend and we're out of the points. You never know.
"This is a very specific circuit. But there is this kind of one-off opportunity that you try to maximise.
"And we saw [a] gearbox failure for Max in Saudi, in Q2, they had problems in Checo's car in Australia all the free practice and qualifying.
"So, if one of those things happens on a Sunday, automatically you close the gap massively and it starts to be more interesting. The championship is long, we will not give up."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Perez: Red Bull F1 will "struggle to show its strengths" in Monaco
Next article Hamilton: New Mercedes F1 contract "nearly there", no Ferrari talks
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Alex Kalinauckas
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Formula 1
Formula 1 May 3, 2025
Who is Kimi Antonelli, F1 sprint polesitter at just 18?
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 2, 2025
Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 1, 2025
What if Red Bull solved its second-car problem with a paint job?
More from
Fernando Alonso
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1 5 h
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Who slept worst last night: Fernando Alonso
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
4 d
Who slept worst last night: Fernando Alonso
More from
Aston Martin Racing
FIA reveals latest ADUO results in final review of 2026 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1 3 d
FIA reveals latest ADUO results in final review of 2026 F1 season
Honda struggling to explain Lance Stroll’s 13th DNF of the season
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 d
Honda struggling to explain Lance Stroll’s 13th DNF of the season
Latest news
Why aerodynamics will become "even more important" under 2027 MotoGP regulations
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
Why aerodynamics will become "even more important" under 2027 MotoGP regulations
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
1 h
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe