Starting at the front of the race, the Red Bull driver, who arrived in the Principality with the label of man to beat, was faithful to his rank and was never worried by the competition - barely by the rain that briefly invited itself in the last third of the race.

"We didn't really know what was going to happen ... we had to stay calm, drive in all conditions," said the Dutchman at the finish of the 80th Monaco GP.

One champion hiding another, the Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) finished 2nd in this 6th round of the season. Starting second, the double F1 world champion in 2005 and 2006 will not have been really worried by his pursuers.

His strategy against the capricious Monegasque sky could have cost him dearly since the veteran of the grid (41 years old) first returned to the pits to put on the medium tires... before going back a lap later to put on the intermediates, better suited to the wet track.

However, he explained, "we had a big margin behind to make two stops if necessary, one for the dry and an extra one for the intermediates - we thought it was the right thing to do".

In Monaco, Alonso scored his best result of the season, after four third places and a fourth (at the Azerbaijan GP at the end of April).

3rd podium in F1 for Ocon

In the championship, Verstappen consolidated his lead over teammate Sergio Pérez, only 16th in a weekend to forget for the winner of the event in 2021.

"Everything went wrong and today we paid the price for a big mistake on my part in qualifying," lamented the Red Bull driver, who started at the back of the grid.

French driver Esteban Ocon (Alpine), during the F1 Monaco Grand Prix on May 28, 2023 © CHRISTIAN BRUNA / AFP

The Mexican still retains his second place overall, ahead of Alonso who returns to 12 units of the Red Bull driver in the overall.

In a setting that combines, like every edition, a touch of glamour - with its yachts moored in port - and the undeniable historical cachet of an event on the calendar continuously since 1955, Frenchman Esteban Ocon won the third podium of his F1 career.

"What a great weekend, we improved the car all weekend without making a single misstep," said the euphoric Norman. Thanks to his 3rd place, he also gives Alpine its first podium since 2021.

Gasly frustrated

His teammate Pierre Gasly finished in a frustrating 7th place: "We had a good race, I walked well on the first stint. But the rain is coming, I do two laps with the soft so necessarily ...", said the Norman at the microphone of Canal +.

"I don't really understand the decision because it was the ideal scenario for us. We make a stop that is useless when we had the opportunity to do three and four" at the finish, he continued. "But it's still a great race for the whole team and I don't want to share frustration."

Under the eyes of an audience of stars - including the Brazilian player of PSG Neymar and the British actor Tom Holland - the child of the country Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) finished 6th behind the Mercedes of the British Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. His Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz finished in a disappointing 8th place, penalized by Ferrari's strategic choices.

The day before, the Monegasque, qualified 3rd, had been penalized three places for having hindered in qualifying the McLaren of British Lando Norris, 9th Sunday.

When the lights went out on Sunday, the reigning vice-champion had started from 6th place. Before crossing the finish line 78 laps later, with the regret of having again failed to get a first podium at home.

© 2023 AFP