Max Verstappen victorious in wet and wild Monaco Grand Prix

In many ways, Verstappen's big victory came down to how calmly he handled the weather-related drama. After nursing his tires for well over 40 laps Verstappen was able to move directly onto wet-weather tires when the rain fell; his competitors, including second-placed Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, all swapped tires earlier and wound up doing three pit stops to Verstappen's two.

Despite Aston Martin's pit stop snafu, Alonso was able to ride Verstappen relatively closely for most of the race. His podium finish is a big lift for the British team, who hope to pursue the F1 championship in coming seasons.

Verstappen and Alonso drove beautifully, but Monaco's Driver of the Day was Alpine's Esteban Ocon. After a brilliant, heart-stopping qualifying run that saw him start in third, Ocon hung on to his position to claim his first podium of the 2023 season. 

It could not have come at a better time for the French team. Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi recently criticized them for perceived poor performance, claiming that the Alpine drivers, pit crew and management team were under par. 

With Ocon finishing third and his teammate Pierre Gasly finishing between two Ferraris in seventh, Rossi's criticisms now look awfully hollow and ill-informed. Both positions are far beyond what Alpine were expected to achieve.

McLaren also executed a strong race, with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both finishing in the points in ninth and tenth.

Formula 1 moves on to Spain next weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. While Red Bull remain favorites, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso will hope to challenge them to take home first place in his home Grand Prix.