Alonso: Aston 'long game' ruined by Verstappen stint on mediums
Fernando Alonso says he opted to play the long game by starting his Monaco Grand Prix on the hard tyre, but the approach was thwarted by race winner Max Verstappen's ability to extend his first stint on the medium rubber.
The Aston Martin driver's strategy choice meant that he lost out to his Red Bull rival at the start on the blast down to Ste Devote.
From there, Verstappen was able to build up a cushion but as the 78-lap race unfolded, the weather forecast came into play and offered the prospect of turning the race on its head.
However, when light rain did set in, unconvinced that the drizzle would intensify or even last, Aston Martin elected to switch Alonso onto a set of mediums, only for the Spaniard to return to the pits a lap later to bolt on intermediates.
Alonso was able to hold his own and keep Alpine's Esteban Ocon at bay, and secure his best result in F1 since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix.
But as Verstappen navigated the waters as a seasoned sailor, the Dutch man remained out of reach.
"It was difficult," said Alonso. "We opted to start on the Hard tyre, so we gave up a bit of possibility due to the short run [to Turn 1].
"We hoped to play a bit of a long game on strategy but Max drove super-well on those Medium tyres to extend the first stint.
"We didn't have any chance and then in the end, the rain made things complicated out there and it was not easy to drive around."
Alonso admitted that conditions were treacherous in the closing stages of the race. But while there were a few slip and sliding mishaps, there were no incidents that warranted a Safety Car which surprised Alonso.
"No full power around the lap, braking was extremely fragile into Turn 5 and Turn 10.
"It was not easy and I was surprised that there were no Safety Cars, no incidents, so I think everyone did an amazing job to keep the cars on track."
At 41, Alonso is the oldest driver to step up onto the podium since Sir Jack Brabham in 1970.
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