Did Aston Martin cost Fernando Alonso the opportunity to win the 2023 F1 Monaco GP? Jenson Button gives his take

2009 world champion Jenson Button reckons Fernando Alonso would have been closer to race-winner Max Verstappen at the end of the 2023 Monaco GP had his team chosen the correct tire strategy, but would have failed to take the race win.

The Spaniard finished the race in P2 behind Verstappen after failing to match the Dutchman.

Aston Martin boxed Alonso towards the end of the race for medium tires when the track was clearly too wet for the slick compound tires. As a result, the two-time world champion had to return to the pits the following lap to change to intermediate tires, losing valuable time to the reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

Had the team chosen the intermediate tires initially, Alonso might have had the chance to battle it out with Verstappen at the end of the race. However, former world champion Jenson Button believes the Red Bull RB19 was a little too fast for Fernando Alonso on this occasion.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Button said:

“He’ll be happy with that result, that was as good as they were going to do. Even if they went on the right tyre, it would have been a close call coming out of the pits but the Red Bull was just too fast.”

Fernando Alonso lauded other drivers after finishing P2 in Monaco

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso praised his fellow F1 drivers for exercising control in intermittent conditions in Monaco. The Spaniard finished the race in second place behind championship leader Max Verstappen.

Starting the race in P2, Alonso showcased his remarkable skills on the challenging Monte Carlo circuit, demonstrating his extensive experience in Formula 1. The event witnessed a moment of chaos as a sudden downpour surprised the competitors towards the end, prompting teams to swiftly pit for fresh tires.

Remarkably, no safety cars or red flags were required despite the rain. Alonso praised his fellow drivers for their cautious approach during the challenging conditions. Speaking about the conditions to David Coulthard in Parc Ferme, Fernando Alonso said:

"Not full power around the lap, braking was extremely fragile into turns 5 and 10. It was not easy and I was quite surprised that there was no safety cars, no incidents. I think everyone was doing an amazing job today to keep the cars on track."

With the much-elusive 33rd race win within touching distance for the two-time world champion, it will be interesting to follow his 2023 campaign.