Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
The two biggest disappointments in Monaco qualifying were undoubtedly Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez. The Aston Martin driver and the Red Bull driver were knocked out in Q1 with two cars clearly contenders for Q3.
Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez were the big losers in Monaco qualifying. The Spanish driver and the Mexican driver failed to make it out of Q1 in Monte Carlo. Alonso was P16 while Perez was P18. But how can we explain this surprise shock?
Fernando Alonso triple threat triggers shock Monaco Q1 exit
We’ll begin with Fernando Alonso, who proved to be a delightful surprise over the weekend. Despite having the potential to compete for a spot in the top 8, everything took an unexpected turn. Three factors played a significant role in Alonso’s elimination: traffic, track conditions, and his own performance.
The driver of the Aston Martin successfully completed two flawless laps using a fresh set of soft tyres. However, due to the changing conditions of the track, lap times began to decrease, with drivers such as Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg trailing just behind Charles Leclerc. As a result, all drivers were compelled to venture out again in order to enhance their lap times.
In the second attempt, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso exited the pits simultaneously, giving them approximately 6 minutes left in Q1.
Stroll’s first attempt with the second set of new soft tyres landed him in third place, trailing George Russell by 0.236s. Russell had been leading the session up until that point. Meanwhile, Alonso could only manage tenth place, trailing the Mercedes driver by 0.527s.
It is evident that Lance Stroll faced fewer issues than Fernando Alonso during the initial Q1 attempt. Alonso’s performance in the first sector was notably poor, leading to his downfall. Stroll outperformed Alonso by a margin of +0.291s, resulting in a 4-4 tie between them in the qualifying head-to-head.
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Alonso’s performance in Q1 was outstanding, resulting in his best lap time. However, it only placed him in the vulnerable position of P13. Although he managed to shave off two tenths of a second in Sector 1 during his second flying lap, he couldn’t improve his overall time due to encountering traffic on the track. Interestingly, the drivers who hindered him in the final moments, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, and Pierre Gasly, were the same drivers who would later contribute to his elimination from the session.
He informed DAZN F1 that he lost 0.3 seconds in Turn 11 due to being behind Gasly. Furthermore, he lost 0.2 seconds on the last corner due to three cars parked and preparing for their flying lap. If he had completed that final lap, he would have secured the first position in Q1.
After examining the telemetry data, it is evident that Alonso’s statement holds true. Had he not encountered traffic, it is highly probable that he would have qualified for Q2. However, even taking traffic into account, his performance in the first sector of the lap was not outstanding. He was still trailing by +0.141 seconds compared to Stroll’s impressive Sector 1 time.
However, the crucial factor was the initial try, which he should have aced effortlessly, just as his teammate did.
Relying on a single good lap in Monaco is quite challenging, particularly in Q1 when 19 cars compete on the intricate streets of Monte Carlo. However, the car didn’t offer much assistance as it was slower than Aston Martin’s 2023 challenger, which secured a P2 finish in last year’s Monaco qualifying, falling short by a mere 84 thousandths of a second behind Verstappen’s pole position.
Sergio Perez struggled to maintain his lead against the Kick Sauber. Throughout the weekend, the Mexican driver faced difficulties in getting accustomed to the RB20, and today he faced the worst-case scenario. Max Verstappen surpassed his best Q1 lap by a significant margin of +0.349s.
Perez made multiple clean attempts without any traffic hindrance. Although his last attempt seemed hopeful to escape the knockout zone, he couldn’t enhance his performance in the final sector due to losing traction in the last corner. Consequently, he ended up finishing behind Fernando Alonso and Logan Sargeant.
The Red Bull driver has had a disappointing weekend thus far. Ever since the renewal rumors started circulating, his performance has noticeably declined. If the Milton Keynes-based team aims to compete for the Constructors’ Championship this season, they cannot afford to give away any points.
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