Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin did not expect so much rain at Monaco GP when making pit stop

Fernando Alonso had his best result since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix by taking second place behind Max Verstappen in Monaco; the Aston Martin driver has had five podiums in 2023 out of six races; he will be racing on home soil at the Spanish Grand Prix next

According to Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin was caught off guard by the unexpectedly heavy rainfall during the Monaco Grand Prix, resulting in their decision to pit for fresh dry tires shortly before the downpour.

Alonso had secured the second position, trailing behind Max Verstappen, when the weather took a turn for the worse, causing chaos on the track. In response to deteriorating conditions, Alonso made a pit stop on Lap 55 to switch to medium tires, only to find the weather worsening even further.

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Aston Martin faced a challenging situation during the race as Fernando Alonso was compelled to make an additional pit stop on the following lap to switch to intermediate tires. In contrast, Max Verstappen only needed one pit stop, allowing him to secure a commanding victory with a lead of nearly 28 seconds.

If Aston Martin had chosen to go directly for intermediate tires, Alonso would have had a better chance to break Red Bull’s winning streak in 2023. However, Alonso explained why the decision was made to opt for dry tires once again.

“When I made the pit stop, there was only rain in Turns Five and Seven. The rest of the track was completely dry,” Alonso shared with Sky Sports F1.

“If you are in P2 and you switch to intermediates for just two corners, maybe Jenson (Button) could predict that correctly! The forecast we received indicated a small shower and a few drops of rain. We did not anticipate such a substantial amount of rainfall.”

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin did not expect so much rain at Monaco GP when making pit stop

He further elaborated, stating, “From my perspective, it was evident that, except for Turns Seven and Eight, the track was completely dry when we made the pit stop. So, how could I have switched to intermediate tires? Almost 99 percent of the track was dry.”

“I decided to pit for dry tires based on the weather forecast we had, which indicated a small shower and a minimal amount of rain. As a team, we believed we had a significant margin and could switch to intermediate tires if required. It might have been an overly cautious approach, but we wanted to ensure safety, given the circumstances.

“However, within that minute and a half it took to go through Turns Five, Six, Seven, and Eight again, the conditions changed drastically. The out lap on dry tires became very wet by the time I reached those corners. But when we made the pit stop, the track was completely dry.”

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Verstappen had a comfortable lead of 12 seconds over Alonso as the rain intensified, seemingly in control of the race.

Nonetheless, Christian Horner believes that Red Bull would have faced greater pressure if Aston Martin had opted for intermediates when Alonso made his initial pit stop.

“It felt like we stayed out one lap too long before switching to intermediates, and if Fernando had chosen intermediates, it would have made it much closer and put more pressure on our pit stop,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.

“Fortunately, he chose slick tires just as the rain was intensifying, and at that point, it was crucial for Max to exercise caution and bring the car safely to the pits.

“When you’re leading the race, there’s only the possibility of losing, nothing to gain. You have to work with the prevailing conditions—we have spotters out there, examining the radar, observing the crowd—and try to piece it all together. The driver has the best understanding of what’s happening on the circuit.”

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