Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen rarely agree on the outcome of a Formula 1 race but the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix provided them with that unique opportunity.
The Dutch champion was bored throughout a race run at a relative snail’s pace and Lewis Hamilton suggested that it was one of the ‘dullest’ races he’s ever taken part in.
Journalist Lawrence Barretto was reflecting on the race for Channel 4 after speaking to many of the drivers in the media pen.
With only a handful of overtakes to get excited about and many drivers not needing to pit under race conditions, there were few talking points after a dramatic first lap.
Fernando Alonso made it a full set of former world champions on the grid in Monaco who weren’t happy with how the race panned out.
The Spaniard has had two poor races with Aston Martin appearing to stagnate in a field of cars that are constantly progressing.
He will hope that the Canadian Grand Prix provides him and teammate Lance Stroll something to get excited about.
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Fernando Alonso was not happy at the end of the Monaco Grand Prix
When the chequered flag came out at the end of Q1 on Saturday in Monte Carlo, there were two standout names in the bottom five.
If you had told Logan Sargeant that he would be lining up on the grid between Alonso and Sergio Perez he would have been delighted.
However, the £275,000-a-week Spaniard could only qualify 16, although he was better off than his Red Bull rival.
It was the second race on the bounce that Alonso had failed to progress to Q2 and given the difficulties with overtaking at Monaco, essentially ended his hopes of achieving a result at a track where 12 months ago he was milliseconds away from achieving pole position.
Instead, he played the team game during the race, backing up the pack as much as he could to hand Lance Stroll a free pit stop to allow him to go and attack Pierre Gasly for the final position in the top ten.
However, Alonso wouldn’t have been happy to see the Canadian having to pit again in Monaco after hitting the barrier and picking up a puncture, thus ending Aston Martin’s hopes of adding to their points tally.
With RB driver Yuki Tsunoda impressing once again, the gap between 5 and 6 in the Constructors’ Championship is narrowing.
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Fernando Alonso endures another frustrating weekend for Aston Martin
Asked what Alonso was like in the media pen after the race, Barretto said: “He was not happy.
“He basically had nothing to say, he just wanted to get out of here. This has been a couple of pretty rubbish Grand Prix for him now and he was the [Fernando] Alonso train and no one enjoyed riding it today.”
Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas also referred to riding ‘the Alonso train’ as he got stuck behind the Spaniard on the streets of the principality.
Fernando Alonso is unlikely to be happy to drive within himself on the streets of Monaco, especially when he’s not even running in the top ten.
Aston Martin’s lack of competitiveness might be worrying Alonso after recently committing his future to the team.
They’ve failed to take the steps forward that the likes of McLaren and RB have managed this season.
At the beginning of the team, there was a split down the middle of the paddock of teams challenging for points and fighting for scraps.
The last few weekends have proven that those lines are now blurred and Aston Martin have been dragged into a battle to finish in the top ten.
The post ‘Was not happy’: Lawrence Barretto says £275,000k-a-week driver had nothing to say after ‘rubbish’ Monaco race appeared first on F1 Oversteer.