F1 2023 Driver Standings after Monaco GP

Max Verstappen has further extended his lead in the 2023 F1 championship after taking his first win at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. After taking pole in one of the most intense qualifying sessions on Saturday, the Dutchman maintained his lead ahead of the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.

In a post-race media interaction, former F1 racing driver Jenson Button reflected on the battle at the front of the grid between Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso.

“Max was pushing a lot harder than I thought he would be in those conditions. Hit the barriers a few times but I have to say well played by most of the drivers out there. Monaco is so tricky when it’s wet because you can’t brake too late because if you lock up, there’s no run-off area.”

“Max was controlling it. A little bit surprised by Fernando’s pit stop – yes maybe they didn’t want the inter tyre yet, I’m just surprised he made the pit stop in those conditions. You’re not sure if it’s going to be wet or dry so normally you’d wait. But still, P2.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner also reflected on the race, admitting that an F1 win in Monaco is a great achievement for Verstappen.

“I was nervous from about the moment the red light came on. When they pull the covers off and you see quite a few have gone on the hard tyre, you think OK, and with rain around if they can go far enough and the mediums can degrade. The first thing was convert the start and Max did that and then it was about building a bit of a gap and getting a Safety Car window to the cars behind and then try and hang it out and see what the weather does."

He continued:

“All the races have the same points but this one means that little bit more. It’s always so special to win here. Everything is a bit unique here and the grid was completely nuts before the race. Big win, every driver wants this race on their CV."

Sergio Perez started outside the top 10 and only managed to finish the race in P16. The Mexican still remains second in the F1 standings while Alonso is quickly catching up.

Button admitted that Fernando Alonso is getting increasingly close to grabbing his first race win for Aston Martin.

“Fernando will always get the best out of the car. He’s inching closer. He doesn’t have the package yet to win a race but this was their best chance. 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.”

Both Mercedes drivers also managed to secure their place in the top 5 in the standings with George Russell pushing Carlos Sainz down to P6. With an impressive P3 finish at the 2023 F1 Monaco GP, Esteban Ocon has also made it into the top 10 in the standings.

2023 F1 Driver Standings after the Monaco GP