P5 was possible in ‘stressful’ afternoon

Alpine driver Fernando Alonso feels fifth place was possible had he not made a mistake on his final run in qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Spaniard had been within the top 10 for much of the weekend and managed to scrape into Q3 for a shot at the shootout by narrowly outqualifying AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in Q2.

Both Alpine cars will line up in the top 10 for the race after some improvements overnight, and Alonso felt as though fifth was possible had he not made a mistake.

The Alpine driver locked up at Mirabeau while glancing at one of the large trackside screens and lost his momentum.

Quali in Monaco! Both cars in Q3, we’ll take that.

P7 Fernando 1:12.147
P10 Esteban 1:13.047#MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/S0q7zIo5Bm

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) May 28, 2022

“I made a mistake,” said Alonso. “The out-lap was not ideal. The brakes were cold in Turn 1, so in Turn 3 and Turn 4 I was thinking ‘keep pushing on’ because I didn’t do the preparation right.

“Then I was looking at the screen and I braked too late for Turn 5, so it was a very stupid mistake.

“Even though we made a big improvement with the car for today, and position-wise it’s been a good qualifying, we could have been even better.

“In Monaco, when you lose concentration, even for a second, it can have a big impact. So I apologise to the team.”

However, with the threat of rain for Sunday’s grand prix, this could be an opportunity for many on the grid including Alonso.

Rain is very much an unknown for the teams around Monaco and with the tight turns and close walls, there would be potential for an upset and drama.

The two-time former World Champion is ready to capitalise on any chances that could arise to make progress through the field.

“It’s gonna rain, apparently,” said Alonso. “I think the situation will change a lot, so let’s see.

“Nobody knows how we will perform in the rain here or how they agree it will be, so a lot of question marks and a…