Peter Windsor hits out at 174-race F1 driver who was ‘predictably nowhere’ after struggling during the Monaco Grand Prix

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The Monaco Grand Prix saw every driver who started in the top 10 finish in the points with one notable exception.

Fernando Alonso’s pointless start to the 2025 Formula 1 season continued in Monte Carlo after a fantastic performance during Saturday’s qualifying session.

He placed his Aston Martin on the third row of the grid after Lewis Hamilton’s penalty and after the first round of pit stops looked like he was comfortably going to open his account for the season.

However, he was the only driver who suffered a power unit failure during a turgid race.

Alonso did the responsible thing and found one of the few gaps in the barriers to park his car, denying fans the excitement of a safety car that was desperately needed.

Fans couldn’t believe Alonso’s bad luck as Aston Martin came away from another race empty-handed, with Lance Stroll still the sole source of the team’s points this year.

Once the experienced Spaniard was out of the race, it was clear that Andy Cowell’s team were not going to score any points at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Peter Windsor reflected on the race and highlighted that he wasn’t surprised at all that on his 174th Grand Prix start, Stroll wasn’t troubling the scorers.

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Lance Stroll told he was ‘predictably nowhere’ after disappointing Monaco Grand Prix

Windsor: “It was also a bad weekend for Aston Martin even though Alonso did that heroic job in qualifying.

“He was running pretty well, would have been comfortably in the points, but stopped out on the circuit with a blown Mercedes engine in the Aston Martin.

“Lance Stroll was predictably nowhere as ever in all that traffic stuff as well.

“So, not a good weekend for Aston Martin in front of Adrian Newey, who was there as I say all weekend on parade.”

Stroll started the race in 19th having picked up several grid penalties across the race weekend.

Nick Heidfeld criticised Stroll for his lack of awareness on the Monaco circuit and he was unable to make any progress during the race.

After causing a collision with Charles Leclerc in practice, he then blocked Pierre Gasly in qualifying and only avoided starting last because Oliver Bearman had been handed a bigger penalty for overtaking under red flags earlier in the weekend.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Lance Stroll laments ‘tricky’ Monaco Grand Prix after starting from the back row of the grid

Speaking in his official post-race press conference, Stroll explained: “It’s Monaco, so when you have a tough Saturday, you know Sunday will always be a challenge.

“It was always going to be tricky starting from the back of the grid and it was not an exciting race with very few opportunities that could help us gain more positions today.

“We now turn the page and focus on Barcelona in a week’s time.”

The Canadian driver is already signed up for the 2026 F1 season alongside Alonso when hopes are high for Aston Martin’s progress.

The likes of Cowell and Adrian Newey are being tasked with guiding Aston Martin to the front of the grid with new regulations on the horizon and a new partnership with Honda starting.

Newey has changed his stance on Stroll since working with him at their Silverstone base which highlights that his public perception may not match with the work he does behind the scenes.

While that may be the case, he needs to avoid going missing on race weekends where Alonso has demonstrated the potential of the AMR25.

Stroll has now raced at Monaco on eight occasions in Formula 1, but still only has a single-point finish to his name back in 2021.