Monaco, a fantasy land of opulence and excess, nearly delivered a fairytale on Saturday. But in the end reality took precedence and the skill of Max Verstappen and speed of his Red Bull were too much for Fernando Alonso.<\/span><\/p>\n It felt like pretty much all of Monaco was willing Alonso to pole position for Sunday’s grand prix, to mark another high point in the remarkable story of his return to the sharp end of Formula 1 this season with Aston Martin. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n With seconds to go in the most compelling qualifying session for a long time, Alonso was fastest and apparently on course to start from the very front of the grid for the first time in 11 years.<\/span><\/p>\n When Verstappen finished the second of three sectors of his final lap more than 0.2 seconds adrift of Alonso’s benchmark, that pole looked to be on.<\/span><\/p>\n But Verstappen’s final sector was phenomenal, and it clawed back all that time and more. As the world champion crossed the line, the crowd holding its breath in the glorious Cote d’Azur sunshine, Verstappen’s name popped back up to the top of the table, and you could almost hear the heartbreak. <\/span><\/p>\n Even Alonso’s old rival Lewis Hamilton, sixth in the upgraded Mercedes, was disappointed. “I was really hopeful that Fernando would have pole at the end,” he said, “as that would be amazing.”<\/span><\/p>\n Alonso has been a divisive figure for much of his career, and he has endured something close to torture for the past decade, struggling in cars not befitting his talent, even stepping away from F1 for two years in 2019 and 2020 because he had had enough.<\/span><\/p>\n But his move to Aston Martin has been perfectly timed. The team have made remarkable progress, the car is as competitive as anything that’s not a Red Bull, and Alonso has emerged as one of the heroes of a season that is disappearing under an avalanche of Red Bull success. <\/span><\/p>\n Alonso has been thrilling people on the track, with four podiums from the first five races and third place in the championship, and delighting them off it, whether it be with a knowing response to wild rumours of a romance with Taylor Swift, or going viral after apparently delighting in sniffing some flowers while waiting to be interviewed in the TV ‘pen’ in Miami. <\/span><\/p>\n Alonso, at the age of 41, is revelling in the opportunity to let old fans and new know what he is about.<\/span><\/p>\n “It feels great,” he said. “I always had self-confidence in what I could do in terms of driving – over-confidence sometimes. But that is part of my DNA probably. It is a proof maybe for people outside.<\/span><\/p>\n “There were a lot of new fans coming from 2014 or 2015 and (thanks to Netflix’s) ‘Drive to Survive’, and they only saw me fighting for Q3 or retiring from the race with some smoke at the back. <\/span><\/p>\n “Now, they are surprised they see me fighting a little bit towards the front. For me it is OK and I am enjoying. But it is more enjoyable that new fans can see that we are fast.”<\/span><\/p>\n Sitting beside him in the news conference after qualifying, Verstappen laughed at Alonso’s remark about engine smoke. <\/span><\/p>\n Alonso was almost certainly referring to his many retirements with Alpine last year. But some may also be reminded of the difficult first days of Honda’s return to F1 with McLaren, just a few days after the Japanese company announced they were returning to F1 with Aston Martin in 2026. <\/span><\/p>\n They said they would have “no problem” reuniting with Alonso, who Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe called a “genius driver” on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n There is a bit of a bromance going on between Alonso and Verstappen. They both admire each other’s ability, and perhaps see a little reflection of themselves in their fighting spirit and something of an anti-hero status, and they often share warm words. Saturday in Monaco was no different.<\/span><\/p>\n “For me, it is not a surprise,” Verstappen said. “I grew up watching Fernando in F1 and I like his style and for him to be here at 41 is very impressive. <\/span><\/p>\n “It is a great example for people out there. If you stay committed and believe in yourself and believe in the opportunities that come to you, you can show something like he is doing right now. But of course you need also the natural raw talent with that.”<\/span><\/p>\n Can Alonso threaten Verstappen for a win that would be his first for 10 years? It seems unlikely, and he knows it.<\/span><\/p>\n “To win, we need help from Max,” he said. “But we cannot take it for granted that all three (top) cars will finish the race with no issues. This is Monaco and it’s going to be demanding.”<\/span><\/p>\n Will you help, Verstappen was asked?<\/span><\/p>\n “I would like to see Fernando win,” he said, smiling again. “But I would also like to see myself win. It’s a tough one. I will think about it.”<\/span><\/p>\n He will do nothing of the sort, of course. Both will have their eyes on the prize. The race will likely be slow-burn as usual, but drama of some sort is never far away in Monaco.<\/span><\/p>\n “If it is a normal race, we should be on the podium, more or less secure in the positions we see here,” Alonso said.<\/span><\/p>\n “If there is an opportunity, a mechanical failure from Max or a bad pit stop or strategy or whatever, we will take it. <\/span><\/p>\n “There is no way you will overtake anyone. It is just avoiding a mistake. Sounds boring, and from the outside looks easy, but it is still extremely difficult to keep the car in good shape for those 78 laps.”<\/span><\/p>\nCould Alonso finally win again?<\/h3>\n
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