This is why Ocon beat Alonso in Monaco, according to Alpine

In Portugal and Spain, the Alpine team performed well, but in Monaco the results were disappointing. Esteban Ocon had to settle for ninth place, while Fernando Alonso missed out on points and finished 13th. CEO Marcin Budkowski said this was just a 'hiccup' in the team's progress.

Monaco a weekend to forget for Alpine

The close battle for fifth place in the Constructors' Championship means Alpine lose two places there. "It could have been worse," says Budkowski in conversation with Motorsport.com. "Unfortunately, our competitors made the most of the race, especially those behind us. They scored extra points because two of the leaders dropped out."

"So for the championship, it's painful. To be honest, it was just a bad weekend for us," he continued. "We were already struggling on Thursday with the pace, and especially with the tyre temperatures. And even though we were able to make up some ground with Esteban in qualifying, the car wasn't set up for the right tyres."

It is notable that Alonso seemed to have more trouble than his teammate Ocon, but according to Budkowski there is an explanation for this. "They both struggled, but the difference was in the fact that Esteban was able to get his tyres to work in Q1, and Fernando wasn't," says the 44-year-old Pole. "All in all, it was a weekend to forget, although we can also learn a lot of lessons from it. I don't think this weekend is representative of the progress we've made."