Alonso will aim for 33rd and Sainz for his third podium in Monaco

The Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) wants to repeat his victory last year in Monaco, this weekend’s venue for the sixth Formula One World Grand Prix; wherein Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) will obviously be aiming for his 33rd victory in the premier class -the third in Montecarlo-; and where his compatriot Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) will be looking to reach the podium for the third time in the most iconic race on the calendar.

After the suspension, last weekend, of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, due to floods that claimed at least fourteen deaths and left around 36,000 homeless in the Italian region where Imola is located circuits, F1 seeks to regain normality in dispute over most traditional city test of a World Cup without it, it would lose much of its essence.

“Not racing at Imola was the right decision and I know it’s not easy to do, but some things are obviously more important than races, and this is one of them,” he said, looking ahead to Grand Prix that lasts. place in the principality of the Côte d’Azur where he established his residence, the Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull), leader of the World Cup, with 119 points. Fourteen more than ‘Checo’ and 44 ahead of Alonso: in the second youth at the age of 41 and, third in the competition -with four podiums in five races-, has been a great sensation at the beginning of the season.

‘Mad Max’, 25, came – after the cancellation of Imola – to achieve in Miami (USA), where he started ninth, his third victory of the season, the thirty-eighth since he ran in F1. AND If he wins on the streets of Monte Carlo, he will break that tiebecause it won three weekends ago in the aforementioned town in the state of Florida, joined German Sebastian Vettel -leader of a glorious four-year period of Red Bull (2010-13)- as the holder of the record of victories in the entire history of the Austrian team.

On paper, the new sports idol from the Netherlands will be the main obstacle for the three drivers who have made the Spanish language fashionable in F1 on the narrow streets of the beautiful Mediterranean principality. On the shortest track on the calendar. 3,337 meters and 19 curves, mostly slow: the more suitable for Alonso’s new car. Where on Sunday it is planned to give 78 laps, to complete a route of 280.2 kilometers.

Alonso, who has been on the podium four times in the first five races of the year -his first five at Aston Martin, where he is now the undisputed flagship-, bringing his number of ‘drawers’ in the premier class to 102, he achieved two of his 32 F1 victories on the only current circuit -along with those of Monza (Italy), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and Silverstone (Great Britain), which unlike it is not urban- was present in the first F1 World Cup in its entire history, in 1950.

The Asturian double world champion prevailed in Monte Carlo in 2006 – the year he revalidated the title – and repeated his victory a year laterwith McLaren. On both occasions, starting from a ‘pole’ belonging to the luxury of the Mediterranean almost guarantees success.

During his time at Ferrari, Fernando – who, like most drivers, supported the decision to suspend Imola and stressed that “grid position is most important” next Sunday – added two more podium finishes to Monaco: in 2011, when he finished second; and a year later, when the third one finished.

This time, ten years after his last F1 victory so far (at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, also with the ‘Scuderia’) and after his more than impressive start to the season, It is not crazy to think about the long-awaited victory number 33 of the Asturian star. On a circuit where overtaking is almost impossible and where Saturday’s session will be just as important, if not more so, than Sunday’s.

Sainzsecond last year -behind ‘Checo’-, repeating last season’s result -when he finished second to Verstappen-, he will be looking for, at least, his third podium on the streets of Monte Carlo. That means his sixteenth in F1 and the first of a season in which the man from Madrid occupies fifth place in the competition, with 44 points, twelve less than the English seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

Only Sir Lewis in assets has surpassed Alonso’s two wins in Monaco. The eccentric and spectacular champion from Stevenage achieved three of his 103 victories -an all-time record- at the glamorous event on the Côte d’Azur. Where no one can match half a dozen of the legendary Ayrton Senna, who won three World Cups for Brazil before dying, injured, at Imola, during the San Marino Grand Prix 29 years ago.

A good result from Sainz will boost the morale of his team, the most successful in history, but he hasn’t had an expected start to the season and last weekend -at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari Autodrome- he could literally race at home. The ‘Scuderia’ is fourth in the Constructors’ World Championship, with 78 points: far behind the 224 in which the very dominant Red Bull leads, surpassing Aston Martin by 122, which from 2026 will have Honda engines, according to in the reports. announced on Wednesday in Japan.

Carlos was injured on Tuesday playing the pilots’ traditional charity soccer match, but on Wednesday he announced through his social networks that he is “well and fully ready to race in Monaco”, removing any damage. His partner, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc -25 years old, three years younger than him-, who has five wins, 25 podiums and 19 pole positions in F1, but is seventh in the championship -with ten points less than the man from Madrid- he was also eager to do good against his countrymen; in a test where his best result was no better than the fourth achieved last year.

‘Czech’, 33 years old – who, before arriving in the Mediterranean principality, indicated that in recent days his “thoughts are always with the victims of the floods” in northern Italy -, increased to six, by winning this year in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, his number of victories in F1, where he counts thirty podiums.

The champion of Guadalajara (Jalisco) was third in 2016, with Force India, in Monaco; where last year he won ahead of Sainz and ‘Mad Max’. On a track where the brave driver from Guadalajara will once again be able to question the leadership of his Dutch colleague; and where it will shoot tires from the softest range of compounds: C3 (hard, recognizable by the white stripe), C4 (medium, yellow stripe) and C5 (soft, red).

That is, if it doesn’t rain. Something that the weather forecasts do not completely rule out in a Grand Prix where free practice, which starts this Friday, will be completed on Saturday, hours before the potentially decisive main scheduled session. That will dictate the starting lineup for Sunday’s race. Where the winner is clear he can have Spanish as his mother tongue.