Alonso on 33rd win: 'Monaco was the best chance'

Fernando Alonso is having an excellent season with Aston Martin. The Spaniard left French Alpine at the end of last year and made the (bold) move to the British team, and it proved to be a good choice. Aston Martin are competing for a podium finish almost every weekend, while Alpine seem to be the fifth-best team.

Alonso has already scored five podium finishes in seven races this season, with four third places and a second place to his name, but he is yet to take victory in 2023. In Monaco, the two-time world champion might have been able to take victory, but a strategic gamble that went wrong resulted in the Aston Martin driver finishing second in the principality.

Alonso chasing 33rd win

Alonso has long stood on 32 victories in Formula 1. His last victory was in Spain in 2013, which is now more than a decade ago. This year, a 33rd win seems closer than ever. "Monaco was probably, to be honest, our best chance in the calendar. And we were very close, only 40 or 50 milliseconds off pole position. And then in the race, obviously, the chance with the weather coming at the end. So let's see when we have another opportunity," Alonso said at the press conference in Canada.

'Hopefully competitive all year'

Aston Martin being so competitive in 2023 was a big surprise. In Barcelona, the AMR23 suddenly fared a lot less well. Alonso hopes this is a one-off. "I think we will be, hopefully, in a very competitive position all throughout the year and maybe only Barcelona being a little bit off the pace. So that's the hope."