Stake F1 stumbles in processional Monaco race

Stake F1 struggled to make gains in Monaco’s processional race, with their aggressive strategy for Bottas yielding limited success.

Stake F1 had no opportunity to claw back near the points in Monaco, with Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou starting from the ninth row. Team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi discusses the race.

“It was a processional race with a red flag after the first lap, where all drivers except Sargeant decided to change their tyres, ultimately eliminating further pit stops,” said the Italian.

“We did our best to enable our drivers to attack the cars ahead, but on a circuit like Monaco, where overtaking opportunities are nearly nonexistent, most of the positions in the field were locked.”

“We tried a different strategy with Valtteri, who ran an aggressive race as we stopped him on lap 15, switching from medium to hard tyres, allowing him a good pace and to pass Sargeant to secure 13th place – the maximum for today.”

“Guanyu had a tougher race: he was stuck behind Sargeant until we decided to swap his position with Valtteri. In the final segment of the race, he lost his position to the Williams under blue flags before we put him on soft tyres in case of a late safety car, which didn’t happen.”

Alunni Bravi praised the team’s efficient pit stops, highlighting operational progress: “On a positive note, our three pit stops were the fastest of the season so far.”

“They were quick and consistent – which is crucial as it shows we can respond and improve. Our main goal for the upcoming races is to improve in every area to get us back into the fight for points.”