Verstappen breaks record as rival misses ‘best chance’ for upset win at Monaco GP

A veteran Formula 1 star has missed his “best chance” to upset Max Verstappen as the world champion made history in Monaco.

Carlos Sainz ran into the back of Esteban Ocon.

Max Verstappen has won the Monaco Grand Prix for the second time to extend his lead in the F1 drivers’ championship to 39 points.

Verstappen started on pole position and led from start to finish, but it was far from a straightforward race at the iconic circuit.

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Fernando Alonso challenged Verstappen in the first half of the race on hard tyres, forcing the Dutchman to do a long first stint to avoid giving up the lead with a pit stop.

Rain started falling with about 20 laps remaining, forcing the drivers to change tyres.

There was an opening for Alonso to take the lead if he switched straight away to intermediate tyres, but he opted for medium tyres and soon had to pit again for intermediates.

It was a narrow but missed opportunity for the Spaniard to move ahead of Verstappen in the pit stop chaos and vie for his first F1 win since 2013.

Was that missed opportunity for a race win in Monaco? (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports: “If they had hit the sweet spot and went to inters at that moment, they would have had the chance to have track position over the Red Bull.”

Former world champion Jenson Button said he was a “little bit surprised by Fernando’s pit stop”.

“They didn’t want to go to the inter tyre yet, but I’m just surprised he made the pit stop,” Button said.

“In those conditions, you’re not sure if it’s going to be wet or dry, so you’d normally wait until you’re sure. Great P2 still.

“This was their best chance. It also would have put more pressure on Red Bull if they made the right tyre choice.

“Even if they went on the right tyre, it would have been a close call coming out of the pits.”

Alonso finished second for his fifth podium from six races and his best result of the season. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon rounded out the podium,

Sergio Perez couldn’t savage a points finish after his qualifying crash — allowing Verstappen to build a healthy lead in the championship. Verstappen lapped his Red Bull teammate twice in Monaco.

Fernando Alonso was still happy with P2. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

With his 39th career victory, the two-time reigning champion has now surpassed Sebastian Vettel for the most race wins by a Red Bull driver.

McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri started 10th and 11th on the grid, respectively, and improved to finish in the same order in 9th and 10th to claim some world championship points.

Ferrari once again finished behind Mercedes, with Carlos Sainz enduring a frustrating race after he drove into the back of Ocon early in the race.

In the earlier Formula 2 race, Aussie young gun Jack Doohan’s car caught on fire after he crashed into the wall, sparking scary scenes as drivers swerved to avoid hitting marshals putting out the fire.

Max wins in Monaco. (Photo by Jeff PACHOUD / AFP)

Monaco GP results (top 10)

1) Max Verstappen

2) Fernando Alonso

3) Esteban Ocon

4) Lewis Hamilton

5) George Russell

6) Charles Leclerc

7) Pierre Gasly

8) Carlos Sainz

9) Lando Norris

10) Oscar Piastri

12.38am - Piastri into the points

McLaren is set for a double points finish after Norris and Piastri both overtook Yuki Tsunoda.

They are now in P9 and P10. Valtteri Bottas is five seconds behind Piastri with eight laps to go.

12.16am - Rain sparks chaos

Here we go. Rain is falling in Monaco, sparking some chaos with 20 laps to go.

Alonso initially pitted for medium tyres but the rain got heavier and he had to pit again for intermediate tyres as did the rest of the field.

Amongst the pit stop chaos, Oscar Piastri moved into 10th ahead of Lando Norris, but the Brit soon overtook his Aussie teammate.

Lance Stroll is out of the race, Kevin Magnussen slid off the track, while George Russell was given a five-second time penalty for an unsafe return to the track next to Sergio Perez in the rain.

Verstappen is 20 seconds ahead of Alonso.

George Russell and Sergio Perez in the rainy chaos. Photo: Twitter.

11.50pm - Verstappen laps drivers, Alonso holding on

Max Verstappen has lapped the back of the field, but got slowed down in the traffic in the process.

That allowed Fernando Alonso to close the gap to the leader, but he is now in the same congestion Verstappen faced earlier.

Verstappen has to wait until Alonso to pit first, otherwise he’ll give up the lead to the Spaniard.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are in 10th and 11th — the places they started in — and are both yet to pit.

11.25pm - Sainz has ‘wrecked his race’

Carlos Sainz sustained damage to his front wing after making a bold lunge to try and pass Esteban Ocon.

He misjudged the gap and bumped into the back of Ocon’s Alpine, but Sainz chose to stay out on track and refused Ferrari’s call to replace his front wing.

Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports: “That wasn’t the right call. That was a 50/50 move there and now he’s wrecked his race.”

Sainz was furious with his strategy after being told by Ferrari to pit for mediums to hold off Lewis Hamilton while chasing Esteban Ocon.

He fumed: “I don’t care about Hamilton!”

Carlos Sainz ran into the back of Esteban Ocon.

Carlos Sainz's front wing flapping in the breeze. Photo: Twitter.

11.10pm - Verstappen makes perfect start, Perez gamble

Max Verstappen has made the perfect start to the Monaco Grand Prix, holding off Fernando Alonso in the early stages. It looks like a two-horse race for the win.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll dropped several places on the opening lap and sustained a puncture and damage after bumping into multiple cars.

Niko Hulkenberg copped a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Logan Sargeant.

LAP 1/78

Contact between Hulkenberg and Sargeant 💥

Hulkenberg has been handed a 5-second penalty#MonacoGP#F1pic.twitter.com/rnE9lr9YGj

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 28, 2023

Sergio Perez pitted at the end of lap 1 to change onto hard tyres that he will try to last to the end of the 78-lap race.

Perez is in 17th place and is setting fastest lap times, but will need a Safety Car to have any chance of getting through the field.

Aussie’s fiery crash sparks chaos

Aussie young gun Jack Doohan had a day to forget in Formula 2’s feature race in Monaco, crashing out in chaotic scenes.

Doohan was in fourth place and vying for a podium finish when he sustained damage at the swimming pool chicane and crashed into the war crashed into the wall at Massenet corner.

He quickly hopped out of his Invicta Virtuosi car as smoke began to billow out of it before the car caught on fire.

Jack Doohan's car caught on fire. Photo: Twitter.

The marshals went hard on the fire extinguishers. Photo: Twitter.

Marshals extinguished the blaze but it took some time for the race to be red flagged and there were scary scenes when Victor Martins whizzed past and had to swerve to avoid hitting the marshals.

Martins was handed a drive through penalty for not slowing down under the yellow flag.

F1 journalist Chris Medland tweeted: “He (Martins) came SO CLOSE to hitting marshals tending to Doohan’s car under waved yellows and Safety Car.”

Thankfully Jack Doohan got out of his car after the crash and before it was engulfed in flames. #FP2#MonacoGPpic.twitter.com/j6FC0zQ2qD

— Phil Randall (@philrandall) May 28, 2023

Este acidente do Victor Martins seria feio... Uma tragédia.#F2#MonacoGP#F2NoBandSportspic.twitter.com/zgPIGfeVXF

— Valdeir S. (@valdeirpsr) May 28, 2023

All going off in #F2. Doohan crashes out and the car catches fire, race control makes a pig's ear of reordering the pack and Martins gets a drive-through after nearly running down two marshalls. #MonacoGP

— Ed Spencer (@EdSpencer99) May 28, 2023

LAP 24/42

🚩 RED FLAG 🚩

Jack Doohan, understandably devastated after his exit from the race #MonacoGP#F2pic.twitter.com/2HaLwVjH8Y

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 28, 2023

the fire on doohan’s car omfg

— ‎‏lisa⁰¹₈₁ ♡ (@emilianverstppn) May 28, 2023

Frederik Vesti won the F2 race ahead of Theo Pourchaire and Zane Maloney, who did well to take evasive action and only just avoid crashing into Doohan’s wrecked car.

“That is a horrible sight when the drivers are close to collecting another one,” the commentator said.

Doohan is Alpine’s F1 reserve driver and seen as Australia’s next F1 prospect, although he has had a horror run with luck and crashes during his time in F2.