Hamilton wanted Alonso on pole: "But that Red Bull is too fast"

Lewis Hamilton would have liked to see former teammate and rival Fernando Alonso take pole position during the qualifying session of the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. The Spaniard briefly held the fastest time, but Max Verstappen managed to claim the pole after an impressive lap. Hamilton knew that the Red Bull Racing car would simply be too fast.

Hamilton hadn't expected to secure the sixth time himself in qualifying, as he struggled with the car. The seven-time world champion moves up to P5 due to Charles Leclerc's grid penalty. Not only Hamilton, but also Esteban Ocon, Alonso, Charles Leclerc and Verstappen had impressive laps towards the end. "Ocon came out of nowhere. He really drove a fantastic lap," Hamilton starts with Motorsport.com.

"After that, I hoped Fernando would have the pole," the British driver reveals. "I saw him go to P1, and I thought it would be great if he could stay there. But that Red Bull is just too fast," the seven-time world champion continues. "Aston Martin is now almost on the same level as Red Bull. They have done a fantastic job, so I'm happy for them. I hope we can reach that level soon too."

Disagreement over adjustment: "I was certain it would turn out well"

In any case, Hamilton noticed that Mercedes was making progress with the updates. "Firstly, I want to say that the team did a fantastic job with the updates. I could immediately feel the difference," the 38-year-old reveals. "Throughout the weekend, we were already losing time in the middle sector, so I decided to make a change before qualifying. It made things more challenging, but I managed each time and I'm happy with the lap I put together at the end."

Interestingly, Hamilton made that decision entirely on his own, despite the team disagreeing. "I was certain that it would turn out well, and I said: if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it. In the end, it worked out. Perhaps not entirely for a single lap, but I suspect it will be much better for the race," Hamilton concludes.