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It hasn’t gone unnoticed! Esteban Ocon finished 3rd on Sunday at the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco: a historic podium in the tradition of the key stories in French motorsport in the Principality.
The French tradition is honoured! Since it was first held in 1929, the Monegasque circuit has regularly been the scene of outstanding performances by French drivers and teams. 7 French drivers have won here (René Dreyfus, Guy Moll, Maurice Trintignant, Jean-Pierre Beltoise, Patrick Depailler, Alain Prost and of course Olivier Panis). Although Esteban Ocon has yet to add his name to the legendary list of winners at this event, his performance on Sunday is certainly worthy of note.
Ocon took over from Olivier Panis, surprise winner in 1996 in a Ligier.
As when Olivier won in 1996, Ocon achieved this feat at the wheel of a French car. Especially as the Panis Ligier was powered by a Japanese Mugen-Honda engine. As for the three podium finishes achieved by Renault F1 in Monaco since 1996, it was always with a foreign driver at the wheel: Jarno Trulli (victory in 2004), Fernando Alonso (victory in 2006) and Robert Kubica (3rd in 2010).
“It’s been a long time. I’m speechless. On Thursday, I would have been happy to get into the Top 10, but here we are on the podium. With Alpine, we never stop believing and this weekend I felt strong in the car, confident, I could really get close to the limit, more than ever before in Monaco,” said Esteban in the press conference. He was on cloud nine, he could hardly believe it, and this was only normal.
“My qualifying lap was 90% of the job”
This Monaco Grand Prix, only the 5th in his F1 career, enabled Ocon to produce a perfect copy from start to finish: 8th, then 10th and 9th in Free Practice, he then put in a tremendous qualifying lap to take provisional pole at the end of Q3, and then the 3rd place on the grid thanks to Charles Leclerc’s penalty. And he didn’t let up in the race, behind the two untouchables, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, two double World Champions, now also tied as double winners in the Principality.
“My qualifying lap was 90% of the job, and today in the race it was a bit tougher. The rear of my car was damaged when Carlos crashed into me at the harbour chicane, then the rain shuffled everything and, in the end, I was under pressure from Lewis (Hamilton), as is often the case in these conditions. He was quicker than me on the wet section, from Turn 5 to Turn 8, and I was quicker on the dry section”, added the man from Normandy, author of a top-of-the-range performance in ultra-tough conditions, at the wheel of a highly efficient Alpine.
The first podium of many?
“It’s a huge reward, and a change from my previous weekends in Monaco. I’m very surprised, but I have to keep my feet on the ground. I want to thank the Alpine teams at Viry and Enstone. I don’t know if this is a turning point in our season, but I hope it’s the first podium of many. We’ll know more about our car’s potential next week in Barcelona, on a slightly more traditional circuit. We keep on pushing. And respect for Aston Martin, because they’re showing us that it’s possible to go from mid-table team to top team…”.
As with Ferrari, one of the two Alpine drivers was the victim of a failed strategy, stopping too early to change tires, and having to stop just afterwards to take the intermediate tires, because of the rain shower. It was Pierre Gasly, who ended up 7th when he could have been aiming for 4th or 5th place, behind Ocon. Exactly the same mistake made by Ferrari for Carlos Sainz, who started 4th and finished 8th. A small detail with huge consequences. Fortunately for Ocon, there was no extra stop with a wrong timing, and his memorable performance with a well-deserved podium finish in the princely box. An historic result, for real.
There was no great surprise at Sunday’s 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, won by two-time reigning World Champion Max Verstappen from pole position, despite a few drops of rain at the end of the race.
The rain did not disturb the Red Bull team, which has yet to concede anything to its rivals this year, taking six wins from six races, including four one-twos. Verstappen started on medium tires, kept them on for as long as possible and then switched directly to a set of intermediate tires when the rain started over certain portions of the street circuit, around lap 50 (of 78).
“I knew it was going to be a race where management would be important, when I saw that Fernando was starting on hard tires. And I also knew that my first stint on medium tires was likely to last a long time. When it started raining, I spent five laps being very careful with my intermediate tires, I didn’t want to drive too slowly to keep the temperature in my tires, it was very slippery, then I changed some settings on my steering wheel and it was better”.
Alonso, who started on hard tires, made two stops in a row, instead of one. First he changed to medium tires, thinking that the rain wouldn’t last, then he immediately changed strategy, putting on intermediate tires on the following lap, to finish the race without risking a big mistake. Enough for the Spaniard to claim a 5th podium in 6 races, and one further proof that Aston Martin is becoming a top team.
Verstappen never gave him the slightest chance of turning the race around, either on the track or in the pits. It was his 4th victory this season, in six Grands Prix, and the 39th of his F1 career. He had already won in 2021 in the Principality, the year of his first world title.
“I’m very happy,” said Alonso at the press conference, delighted with this 2nd place, which testifies to the British team’s progress. “We had already finished 3rd, and now we’re 2nd, so we’re just one place behind,” added the two-time world champion. “We had to find a different strategy, to try and beat Red Bull, with the risk of finishing 5th or 6th. But we weren’t fast enough in the race, so we couldn’t beat them today”.
The only big surprise of the afternoon was in fact the spotless performance of Esteban Ocon, who finished on the 3rd step of the podium thanks to a very efficient and reliable Alpine, in tricky conditions. A result that nobody could have predicted last Thursday, on the eve of the first free practice session.
“If we’d been told on Thursday that we’d finish in the Top 10 on Sunday, we’d have been very happy. Now we’re on the podium. We’ll find out next Sunday in Barcelona, on a very different circuit, whether this is a turning point in our season. But I felt good all weekend in the car, and it all came down to qualifying on Saturday. Today was harder. I had to hold off Carlos Sainz, then Lewis Hamilton. We often find ourselves fighting together in these conditions”.
Winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, Ocon first had to fend off the onslaught of a very aggressive Carlos Sainz, who was then warned by the race direction for colliding with him at the exit of the tunnel, when braking too late at the harbor chicane. He then held off the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell who complete the Top 5, ahead of Charles Leclerc (6th).
The Monegasque couldn’t do much better than his 6th place on the grid, three spots further than planned. Because of a late penalty on Saturday evening for impeding Lando Norris at the end of qualifying, in the tunnel.
His team-mate Carlos Sainz has all reason to be far more upset than Leclerc, as he finished 8th despite starting from 4th on the grid. His team made him stop too early, when his hard tires were still in very good condition. He was up against Ocon for a long time, was slowed down by Leclerc at one point, and at the end he had to stop again to change for intermediate tires because of the downpour. That was one stop too many.
It was an intense Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, from the first free practice on Friday, and the sporting logic has once again prevailed. As in previous cycles of domination by Ferrari with Michael Schumacher, Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel, and Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The long and exciting Monaco Grand Prix series continues. This was only the 80th episode…
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will start from pole position in Monaco at 3.00 pm on Sunday, for the first time in his already long career as a double World Champion. Next to him on the front row will be Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), whom he admired when he was younger. A dream duo for this 80thedition.
The gaps were minimal, the commitment total, by all 20 drivers, and there was plenty of suspense throughout qualifying, which began with a major crash: that of “Checo” Pérez at the start of Q1, in Sainte-Dévote. The Mexican ripped off the entire left-hand side of his Red Bull and will start Sunday from the back of the grid, although he is the defending champion. After the compulsory red flag, proceedings continued with more surprises: with one minute remaining in Q1, Yuki Tsunoda was P1 in his Alpha Tauri and Carlos Sainz P17 in the other Ferrari, potentially eliminated, before narrowly escaping.
Q2 was relatively calmer, except for Hamilton, who had to pull off a champion’s lap at the end to advance to Q3, with worn tires and a Mercedes he was struggling to control. The stage was set for a legendary Q3. On the grid: Verstappen’s Red Bull, Alonso’s Aston Martin, both Ferraris, both Mercedes and… both Alpines, Tsunoda’s Alpha Tauri and Norris’s McLaren.
Ocon, then Leclerc, then Alonso on provisional pole
The two-time Spanish World Champion, who has not claimed a pole position since the 2012 German GP with Ferrari, first posted a lap of 1:11.706, ahead of Sainz and Leclerc, Verstappen and the two Alpines, before the Dutchman took the lead by the skin of his teeth. The suspense was intact, as there were still a few minutes available.
The final fireworks began with an incredible 1:11.553 from Esteban Ocon (Alpine) to take provisional pole. This time was then beaten in turn by Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, and finally Max Verstappen, in 1:11.365, beating Alonso by 84 thousandths only, just over 8 hundredths of a second. The Red Bull driver was two tenths down on the Spaniard’s time as he exited the tunnel at the harbour chicane, then he took all the risks, touching the rail twice between the chicane and the finish line. Amazing effort for a sensational result, at the end of a legendary qualifying session.
Verstappen: “I hit a few walls”
“I knew I’d have a better chance if I came out of the pits last. I wasn’t totally confident in my tires at the start of my last attempt, but then I attacked as hard as I could, just like everyone else. I leaned on the walls a bit and it went through,” said Max, delighted with his first pole position in Monaco, at his 8th appearance, and already the 23rd of his F1 career. Then he had a kind word for “Nando”, sitting next to him in the press conference: “I admired Fernando when I was younger. He’s still a role model. But I will not let him win tomorrow”.
As is often the case, Alonso summed up the situation in a few sentences as precise as his driving on Saturday afternoon, at the age of 41: “Monaco really is a unique place and this afternoon we pushed the limits very far, significantly increasing the level of risk,” he smiled. “We might need a little help from Max. There’s very little chance that our three cars will finish the race,” he added, as a last warning. He knows that, in the history of Monaco Grand Prix, the second on the grid has won more often than the poleman, in the 79 previous editions.
Finally, Leclerc said he was “disappointed” by his third-place finish, but offered a technical explanation: “I couldn’t do any better this afternoon. I have a big problem on the bumps, the car jumps a lot and my head goes all over the place. I’m hoping for a dry race on Sunday, as rain hasn’t done me much good here in recent years”, concluded the Scuderia Ferrari driver.
Three hours later, Leclerc learnt that he would have to start three places further back on the grid for having impeded Norris during the hectic session. An incident that went completely unnoticed, except by the race direction. As a direct consequence, at 3.00 pm on Sunday, Leclerc will be on the 3rd row of the grid, in 6th place, and Esteban Ocon’s surprising Alpine will be in 3rd place. Just behind Verstappen.
The first free practice session of the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco lived up to all its promises, with a great battle at the top of the timesheets, in front of a large and delighted audience.
Ferrari got the ball rolling with the two fastest times at the start of the session, thanks to Carlos Sainz and local hero Charles Leclerc. The relay was then taken, temporarily, by two multiple world champions, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). In the end, Sainz Jr regained the lead and held on to it, much to the delight of the numerous tifosi, under the benevolent gaze of his father, a two-time world rally champion.
Red Bull Racing, which has just racked up five wins and four 1-2s in five races (Verstappen 3 – Pérez 2), remained in the background, probably hiding its game in anticipation of Saturday’s eagerly-awaited qualifying session. Two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen finished 6th in this first of three free practice sessions, behind team-mate Sergio Pérez (4th). The session was brought to a premature end five minutes too early following Alex Albon’s heavy touch at the exit of Sainte-Dévote.
The Thai driver lost the rear end of his Williams and tore off the entire left-hand side of his blue car, while in possession of the 10th provisional time – a very encouraging performance for the English team. The ACM stewards, as efficient as ever, evacuated the car within minutes. The team’s mechanics now had their work cut out before the next session, scheduled for 5:00 pm.
Both Ferrari drivers in the Top 5, Sainz and Leclerc (5th), and both F1 legends, Alonso (2nd) and Hamilton (3rd), showed that they were happy to be back on one of their favourite playing fields. We may have to reckon with them in qualifying on Saturday, especially if the Aston Martin performs as well as it has on previous circuits this season (4 podiums in 5 races) and if the Mercedes is more efficient with its brand new sidepods. Next F1 free practice session is scheduled from 5:00 pm.
This is already the 80th Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco, and the story is still the same: mistakes are forbidden on the streets of the Principality. The favourite doesn’t win every time, even if he starts from pole position. This means that Max Verstappen’s rivals can pin their hopes on an unlikely victory on Sunday, thanks to the weather or race incidents.
“Red Bull is faster than us,” summed up local hero and Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at Thursday’s press conference. And since Charles “doesn’t believe in luck“, he will be relying on himself first this weekend, starting with qualifying on Saturday. If, as in 2021 and 2022, he manages to set the fastest time, he will start from pole position and have a better chance of winning for the first time in Monaco, on these streets he’s known by heart since he was a child.
“I’ve got friends on every street corner, some of them watching me go by from their terraces,” Leclerc smiled on Thursday. “Saturdays here often go well, we just have to do better on Sundays,” he added. On Friday, to prepare well for “the best qualifying session of the year“, Leclerc will have to manage the two free practice sessions well. As for a renewal of his contract, or the possible arrival of a new team-mate in the Scuderia, Lewis Hamilton or another, “we’ll see later”, said the Monegasque.
Last year’s winner in Monaco, and already twice victorious in five races this year, Checo Pérez trails Max Verstappen in the overall standings by just 14 points. He is keen to keep the suspense alive: “Monaco is not the strongest circuit” for Red Bull”.
Alonso still eager to win
In the provisional championship standings, there are two very big names in 3rd and 4thplaces, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. The two absolute stars of F1, who have amassed nine world titles to their name, seemed very serene at Thursday’s press conference.
“I’d be lying if I said I don’t think I can win when I arrive at a race, especially if it’s on a specific track like Singapore or Monaco,” said the Spaniard, very satisfied with his start to the season: 4 podiums in five races, 75 points amassed, an unexpected result with Aston Martin, his new team.
“Nando” has not won in F1 since 2013, but he’s so enthusiastic that he still believes he could be around in 2026, when Aston Martin becomes powered by Honda engines, against the backdrop of new technical regulations. “I’ll be 44 years old,” he says, with a caveat: “I won’t be in F1 if I’m not as fresh, as fast, as sharp, as motivated as I am today. One day, I’ll wake up and I will raise my hand,” warned the two-time world champion.
Hamilton optimistic
Inseparable in victory and failure, Alonso and Hamilton are often battling it out this season for a place on the podium with the two Red Bull drivers. On Thursday, the Spaniard made a friendly jibe at the Englishman, whom some media are already sending to Ferrari next year: “Lewis always says that in a team, you win together and you lose together. So if he keeps losing, he has to stay with Mercedes…“.
The seven-time world champion is in the process of finalizing a contract renewal with the German team, and “there are just a few small details left to sort out”. As for this season, which has only just begun, he remains very optimistic: “My team is working incredibly hard, and you learn more from defeat than from victory. We have new people in our team, who are really hungry, and updates that were already ready for Imola. We know the direction we need to follow in order to get closer to the guys in front”.
Stay tuned tomorrow, at 1.30 p.m. and 5.00 p.m., for two eagerly-awaited free practice sessions.
For the third year in a row, the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco Trophy will be presented in a bespoke Louis Vuitton Travel Case as part of an ongoing partnership between the Maison and the Automobile Club de Monaco.
Hand-crafted in the House’s historic Asnières workshop on the outskirts of Paris, the trunk showcases Louis Vuitton’s traditional know-how while drawing inspiration from the heritage of the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco.
The iconic Monogram canvas is adorned with the red shade of the Monaco flag while the red lines, tracing the “V” for “Victory”, are rimmed with a white strip, reminiscent of the unique urban route of the track where driving excellence goes hand in hand with power and precision.
This tailor-made trunk, in the colours of the Principality, will hold the trophy depicting the 19 turns of the 3.337-km track. The trophy will be awarded to the winner of the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 80th edition. Stay tuned on Sunday, May 28th, for the Podium Ceremony.
The Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2023 is coming soon! The most awaited weekend of the year will take place from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 May. A rich sporting programme awaits you with practice sessions, qualifying and races in Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup, all in the very special setting and atmosphere of the Principality of Monaco.
Although Sunday 28 May is sold out, tickets are still available for Thursday 25, Friday 26 May and some for Saturday 27 May. Don’t wait any longer!
Find the different ticketing points and their opening hours below:
To enjoy an immersive experience, join us to the Fan Zone MGPLive located at Place d’Armes, with free entrance! Many activities are waiting for you: live drivers’ interviews, simulators, pit stop challenge, diffusion of the track sessions, live music…
Opening days and hours:
Dress in the colours of the Monaco Grand Prix
You can also find the different points of sale of the Official Shop of the ACM:
For any other questions, please consult our FAQs.
New Zealander Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing), who started 9th on the grid, won the 6th Monaco E-Prix on Saturday, holding off his fellow Kiwi Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS) and England’s Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) until the end of a very exciting race.
This is the 2nd straight win for Cassidy this season, after the second race in Berlin last month. And the 3rd consecutive podium for Evans in Monaco, after a 3rd place in 2021 and a 2nd place in 2022. The Envision driver takes the lead in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
After a disappointing qualifying session, Cassidy took a great start, then passed Evans at the right time and never gave in to the Jaguar driver’s pressure. The race ended in slow motion, behind the Safety Car, following a collision at Sainte Devote between Sam Bird, the other Jaguar driver, and Nico Müller (ABT Cupra).
It may be a surprise for some but it is a well-deserved result for the NEOM McLaren Team, on his debut season in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship: rookie Jake Hughes, contesting his first season in Formula Electric, will start on pole position for the second time this season, this Saturday at 3:03 pm local time. He earned that privilege at the 6th Monaco E-Prix at the end of a qualifying session that concluded with a stewarts decision: his rival in the final Duel, Frenchman Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan), used too much power in his last qualifying lap, so he will start next to Jake Hughes, but still on the front row of the grid, this Saturday afternoon.
Fenestraz, a Franco-Argentinian 23-year-old, first got through a very tough Group A, from which Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne, the two DS Penske drivers, were eliminated, as was the championship leader, Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche). Group A was dominated by his Nissan teammate, Norman Nato, and the Top 4 was completed by Dan Ticktum (NIO333) and Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS), the poleman last year.
Group B was also very intense, concluded with a Top 4 made of two Monaco-based Maserati drivers, Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara, a NEOM McLaren driven by Jake Hughes, and Sergio Sette Camara in the other car entered by NIO333. The Duels could start and the quarter-finals looked exciting: Fenestraz dominated Ticktum, then Nato joined him in the semi-finals by beating Evans. In the other half of the board, Hughes beat one Maserati, Mortara‘s, and the other one, Günther‘s, lost on the track but then benefited from Sette Camara‘s time being wiped out.
Both Nissan drivers had to fight it out in the first semi-final and Fenestraz beat Nato in style: a record time of 1:28.773 for the Franco-Argentinian, the first driver to go under the 1:29 mark on Saturday, posting the new Circuit de Monaco record in an electric car. And achieving a second pole position this year after the one in Cape Town for Round 5, on the day he also posted the highest average speed (159.4 km/h), over one lap, in the history of Formula E.
Then Günther could do nothing in the other semi-final against Hughes, who set a time of 1:28.942. The final was won by Fenestraz, as Hughes made a small mistake when braking at the harbour chicane, losing a few precious tenths. Then Fenestraz lost the benefit of his performance, for having used too much power at that time, in excess of the 350 kW limit. He will console himself with a front row finish, next to Hughes on the first row, on Saturday at 15:03 CET. Keep watching…
One year after their official presentation in Monaco, the new single-seaters of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, named GEN3, will finally be on track this Saturday. More powerful, lighter and faster, they break records and ensure more overtaking in races. The show will therefore be intense on Saturday for this 6th visit of the most innovative category of modern motorsport. Not to mention a line-up of top drivers who will try to reach the Holy Grail: a prestigious win in the Principality.
Since the beginning of this Season 9, the GEN3s have been breaking records. We are already halfway through the season and the numbers are staggering. During the South African round in Cape Town, rookie Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan) achieved the highest average speed in the history of the discipline, at 154.987 km/h, to obtain his first pole position in his first full season. In Berlin last month, at the atypical Tempelhof Airport circuit, the record for the number of overtaking maneuvers in a single race was broken (190), as was the number of lead changes (20, over 43 laps) and the number of different leaders in the same race (8).
With this GEN3 “made for Monaco”, as can be seen on banners all around the circuit, Formula E is more animated, more disputed, more open, and therefore a greater number of drivers have a chance to win. The proof is in the pudding: six drivers have won in the first eight rounds of this Season 9, and many more can follow suit in Monaco. As for the quest for the world title, it will be fierce right up to the end, judging by the lengthy CVs of the candidates for the crown.
Wehrlein and Cassidy lead the championship
Pascal Wehrlein (TAG-Heuer Porsche) is leading the way, but Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) is only four points behind. The Kiwi has just scored 68 points in four races, compared with 20 only for Wehrlein, who started the season on a high. And 20 other drivers are ready to take advantage of the Monegasque stage to score big points and move up the championship standings, starting with Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske), the only two-time champion in the category, who has already won in 2019 on the streets of the Principality.
On the list of winners of an electric single-seater race in Monaco, we also find Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing), the only one to have won here twice. The Swiss driver has already won the FIA Formula E championship with Nissan and the World Endurance Championship with Toyota (three victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans). He has been one of the major players of the category since its creation (16 pole positions) and has only one desire: to win again, for his new team.
Vandoorne wants to bounce back
On the grid at 3.03pm on Saturday, there will be five championship winners, starting with Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske). The Belgian, world title holder and Monaco resident, won the 2022 edition, but has not yet managed to climb on a podium in 2023. There will also be Antonio Felix da Costa (TAG-Heuer Porsche), crowned in 2020 and Monaco winner in 2021. Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske), Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing) and Lucas di Grassi (Mahindra Racing) round out the list of champions.
Maserati and McLaren, 54 years later…
Among the many challenges of this 6th Monaco E-Prix, there is also the reunion at the highest level of Maserati and McLaren, two mythical brands of motorsport. The former Venturi team is back in Formula E under new colors, thanks to an already successful partnership with the Monaco Sports Group. The Maserati MSG driver duo is made up of Edoardo Mortara and Maximilian Günther, who just finished on the podium in Berlin.
On the McLaren side, the Woking-based team has put together a very promising tandem with Jake Hughes and René Rast. This Saturday, for the first time since the 1969 Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren and Maserati will be on the same starting grid in the Principality. And their reunion promises to make sparks fly.
Last but not least, two other drivers have to be watched closely this weekend: Mitch Evans and Sam Bird, in the fast-growing Jaguar TCSteam. Evans, the other Kiwi on the grid, has just won two of the last three races, making a spectacular recovery in the championship standings. To be continued?
6th Monaco E-Prix, 9th round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Saturday at 15:03 CET
Your tickets: www.monaco-eprix.com
