Alonso's first F1 point.
Fernando Alonso secures his first point of the season in Monaco after Checo Pérez's penalty.
Fernando Alonso scored his first point of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Monaco Grand Prix — without even crossing the finish line in the top 10. The two-time world champion started from P21 and finished 11th on the road, but a post-race penalty against Sergio Pérez promoted Alonso to 10th place and gave Aston Martin its first point of the year Mundo Deportivo.
The result was shaped by an extraordinary chain of events: seven retirements, two grid-infraction penalties for Pérez, and a track surface failure that forced a red flag restart. Kimi Antonelli won the race for Mercedes and extended his championship lead to 66 points Crash.net.
Pérez Penalized Twice, Loses Historic Cadillac Point
Sergio Pérez had crossed the line in 10th place, seemingly scoring Cadillac's first-ever Formula 1 point. But FIA stewards stepped in. First, he served a drive-through penalty at the start for lining up in the wrong grid slot — occupying the space reserved for Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto Motorsport.com. Then, at the standing restart after the red flag, video showed his front-right wheel was outside the starting box again.
Stewards issued a 10-second time penalty. Their official report stated: "Video evidence showed clearly that the front right wheel of Car 11 was outside the starting box. The standard penalty is applied" Motorsport.com. That penalty dropped Pérez from 10th to 15th and handed Alonso the final point-scoring position.
Asphalt Cracks, Crashes, and Seven Retirements Reshape the Race
The race unraveled from the very first lap. Max Verstappen stalled on the front row and retired immediately with a power unit failure. Lando Norris also retired mid-race with technical issues Motorpasión. The defining moment came when the asphalt disintegrated at the Antony Noghes corner, causing crashes for both Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll within minutes of each other and forcing the red flag.
In total, seven drivers failed to finish. Each retirement moved Alonso one step closer to the points. The new 2026 cars — lighter at 768kg — proved harder to manage on Monaco's tight streets, making driver errors more frequent PlanetF1. The track surface failure then triggered the fateful restart that sealed Pérez's fate.
Alonso Climbs 11 Places From P21 With Aggressive Strategy
Alonso started from P21 — second to last on the grid — after a disastrous qualifying session for Aston Martin. The AMR26 showed critical lack of grip and gearbox synchronization problems. Yet Alonso drove with maximum aggression through both race starts. "Me siento muy fuerte. Fui muy agresivo en las dos salidas... no tenemos nada que perder en la toma de riesgos," he said after the race Mundo Deportivo.
The net gain of 11 positions — from 21st to 10th — was the highest of any driver in the race. The single point moved Aston Martin off the bottom of the Constructors' Championship, overtaking Cadillac. Alonso moved to 15th in the Drivers' Standings Crash.net. Fans in Spain called it the "Miracle of Monte Carlo."
Cadillac Left Heartbroken, FIA Faces Consistency Questions
For Cadillac, the loss stings deeply. The American team is still searching for its maiden championship point in its debut season. Pérez himself argued the penalty was harsh. "Analizamos la situación desde diferentes ángulos, es difícil demostrarlo desde uno solo," he said Motorsport.com. Mexican fans and media described the stewards' ruling as a "desk-bound decision" that robbed the team of a historic moment Informador.mx.
Analysts pointed to the unprecedented number of penalties across the whole Monaco weekend — including a disqualification in the F3 race — as evidence of a weekend-wide crackdown by stewards. The failure of the Antony Noghes asphalt is also expected to trigger an FIA investigation into Monaco's track preparation standards ahead of 2027 RacingNews365.
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