The two-time world champion scored his best result of the season with a seventh-place finish in Monaco, one place ahead of Hamilton,⛎ who could not 𝔉find a way past despite Alonso’s extremely slow pace after the restart following Mick Schumacher’s enormous crash that red-flagged the race.

Alpine stressed that Alonso did not have an issue with his car🧸 and the Spaniard later explained that he was simply saving tyre life because the team was unsure whether his medium tyres would last the final stint. 

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“I think we didn’t have the tyres or the tyre life to f༺inish the race when it was 33 laps,” Alonso said.

“It’s a sprint race, we had tw🍨o choices: refit the hard tyres from the beginning of the race, or put the♉ medium tyre. We put the medium tyre, but our life estimation was shorter than 33.

“So we didn’t know if we could finiꦬ𓂃sh the race, so I managed a lot the tyres for 15 laps, and then I pushed for the remaining 15 when they told me that Esteban [Ocon] had the penalty.”

When it was put to him t🗹hat his slow driving 💧had frustrated Hamilton, Alonso responded: “Not my problem.”

Alonso, who endured a f💛rosty relationship with Hamilton when they were teammates at McLaren in 2007, later quipped that itꦓ was “extremely easy” to keep the Mercedes behind.

Hamilton, meanw🌸hile, insisted Alonso’﷽s driving didn’t bother him. 

“It is whꦫat it is,” the🐈 seven-time world champion said. “I was just cruising behind him.”

When asked if his fru🐼strating start to the season was beginning to get to him given his highly competitive nature, Hamilton replied: “What🅠 is the good in letting it eat away at me? 

“It is what it is and theꦇre is not much I can do about it, so I will be back at t👍he factory and try again in the next race.” 

Hamilton's run-in with Alpine pair at F1 Monaco GP

Prior to his battle with Alonso, Hamilton had beenꦦ squabbling with the other Alpine of Est𝓰eban Ocon. 

The pair engaged in a long tussle for position that resulted in contact at Sainte Devote when Hamilton tried to find a way past on Lap♑ 18. 

Hamilton picked up damage after his fro🍎nt wing was hit by Ocon as he attempted to 🐽make a move on the Frenchman. 

Ocon was subsequently hit with a five-second time penalty that meant he finished outside of the points. He felt the punishment was unfa🌄ir.

"I think we did everything right in 💃general," Ocon said afte🍎rwards. 

"We were racing well until we got that five-second time penalty which, you know, is not really justified unfortunately. I am💜 very frustrated with that🔯 because it ruined our result of today's race, but that is how it is.

"We went to a review with the stewards and they said if it had been last year it would have been a꧃ racing incident, so I don't know really what has changed this year.

"If you want to overtake in Monaco there has to be some sort of contact because there is no spac♕e to do so. 

"Lewis was quicker behind with the other tyres and we were racing hard for 🎐sure, but we were racing for position, and we were racing at the end again.

"It was fair racing, a bit of contact f🧸or sure, but we🍒 didn't suffer so it is very disappointing and I am pretty frustrated."

Hamilton added: "Honestly I didn't find it frustrating, it is what you ex🔯pect here in Monaco. I knew when I qualified behind one of them it was🏅 going to be something like that.

"I was hoping the rain was going to open up💜 some more opportunities but it didn’t. You live, 🔴you learn and you move on."