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After securing second place and fifth podium of the season at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso isn't satisfied driving behind reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen.
The Spaniard feels that his Aston Martin isn't as good as the Red Bull RB19. But the two-time world champion is showing no signs of giving up as yet.
In a post-race interview, Alonso said:
"I've been through it before, In 2010 I was still able to become champion in the final race, despite my Ferrari being inferior to the Red Bull then. And in 2012 it happened again. On pure speed, we’re still not the fastest, but we won't give up."
Alonso mentioned that they took advantage of the moment Perez fell behind in Q1. Monetizing on Red Bull's slip-up, proved beneficial to Aston Martin. However, the choice of the wrong tires to start the race along with the foreseeable rains that fell in the later half of the race cost Alonso his first win of the season.
Fernando Alonso also became the oldest podium winner in Monaco in 50 years.
Even without rain, there is no chance for Fernando Alonso to outrun Red Bull
By starting Alonso on hard tires while Verstappen set off on mediums, for instance, the Aston Martin drive took a calculated risk. The 41-year-old concluded that the risk had been fruitless.
Elaborating more on the strategy the team had, Fernando Alonso felt that they lacked speed. He said in the interview:
"Even without rain, we didn't stand a chance. It was an all-or-nothing gamble, but it soon became apparent that Verstappen was far too fast on its mediums. That was the problem. The strategy was good, but we didn't have the speed."
Fernando Alonso caused many to raise eyebrows by making a pit stop for dry-weather tires, while other drivers already opted for intermediates due to the falling rain. The Oviedo driver also had an explanation for this.
According to him, the track was 99 percent dry when he drove the lap to the pitstop. It rained a little only in two turns, so it made no sense to him to change to inters. He also mentioned that as they had a good margin, he got to keep his position as he pitted for inters at the right time when the tracks were soaking wet.
The bottom line, Fernando Alonso is happy with his second position. He hopes that he and the team are close to the last step to close the gap between Aston Martin and Red Bull, now that he has finished second after four third places.
