Monaco Grand Prix – Alpine must bounce back

During the Spanish Grand Prix, the Alpine team managed to qualify both of its cars in Q3, something that had never happened for the team this season. Esteban Ocon even secured fifth place on the starting grid. Fernando Alonso was disappointing in the race, finishing only in seventeenth position, far behind his teammate’s ninth place. However, it was overall a very positive weekend for the team, confirming the improvements made to its car and seeming to be on a very good momentum.

We cannot say the same after this first day in Monaco. The French team has never stood out in terms of performance during the first two free practice sessions. The alert rather came from the track, with Fernando Alonso hitting the wall in FP1 at the Anthony Noghès turn, the double Spanish world champion. At the end of the first session, Alonso was in thirteenth position, three places ahead of his teammate Ocon. The two drivers were respectively 1.718 and 1.833 seconds behind the leader, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

At the end of the second and final Free Practice session on Thursday afternoon, Alonso secured the twelfth fastest time of the session, two places ahead of Ocon, still with about one and a half seconds behind the leading driver, who was this time Charles Leclerc.

With a rather slow pace throughout the entire first day of the Grand Prix, the Alpine team never stood out, leaving some doubts about their level of performance this weekend. We will have an answer on Saturday with the third Free Practice session, followed by the qualifying session for the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix.