With Elusive 33rd Win in Sight, Fernando Alonso Weighs in on the Crucial Factor Quintessential to Conquer Monaco

2023 seems to be a prosperous year for Fernando Alonso. 10 years on from his last ever F1 victory, the Spaniard has suffered a decade of misfortune. While most of it can be attributed to his awful career decisions, he’s been supremely unlucky, too. Now, with Aston Martin, he’s in touching distance of that elusive 33rd race victory that will hopefully kick-start his journey to his 3rd world title. But will his luck finally run out in Monaco?

The AMR23 is a highly competitive car. A testament to this is Alonso scoring 4 podiums in the 5 races we’ve had so far. That being said, the car does suffer from one major infirmity. By Alonso’s own admission, it isn’t exactly a rocket ship in a straight line. However, its cornering performance is what has propelled the team to a bevy of podiums. While this means Monaco will be his best chance at fighting for a win, Alonso isn’t too sure about it.

Fernando Alonso is cautious about the performance at Monaco

Being able to secure a historic win for himself at Monaco will be the icing on the cake for the Spaniard. But the willy old fox knows better than to put all his eggs into one basket. While given the characteristics of the AMR23, he’s optimistic about a good showing. He knows only time will tell if he can snatch victory from the clutches of Red Bull.

Spanish media outlet, MARCA quoted the 41-year-old as saying, “It’s a race that we F1 drivers always look forward to. It’s so exciting to race through these streets, there’s nothing like it. I’m curious to see how the car performs on a slow-speed circuit like this.”

“It will be important to make sure we get it right with the set-up of the car and getting into a rhythm from the beginning.” [translated via Google Translate]

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The AMR23 will most definitely give Alonso a fighting chance at victory, but the Spaniard knows his input is as important as the car’s ultimate performance.

Alonso explains what it will take to secure victory on Sunday

Monaco isn’t like any other circuit on the calendar. While being dubbed as the crown jewel of F1, the circuit itself doesn’t really like to promote overtaking. With its twisty and narrow streets, the key to winning in the principality means acing Saturday or paying the price on Sunday.

The Asturian explained, “As overtaking is so difficult in Monaco, grid position will also be critical for Sunday’s result. If we can have a strong Saturday, that will set us up for another good result this weekend.”

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Can Aston Martin propel Fernando Alonso to his 33rd F1 race win at Monaco this Sunday?