Alonso takes blame for Heidfeld crash

The Renault driver was trying to recover ground thanks to the use of extreme weather tyres when the track was at it wettest, and although he was much faster than Heidfeld, he was stuck behind the BMW driver for some laps.

On lap 14, the Spaniard tried to pass Heidfeld on the inside and their cars touched. Alonso damaged his front wing and had to replace it, losing all his chances of a good finish.

Heidfeld suffered a slow puncture.

Speaking to Spanish reporters after the race, the two-time champion admitted his move was too optimistic.

"It was going well, but on lap seven I arrived at the Casino corner and I had aquaplaning," Alonso, who damaged his car on lap seven, was quoted as saying by AS newspaper.

"On that same lap we had the first safety car. The track was very wet. I had to pit and put on the extremes because I had too much aquaplaning. And from that moment it stopped raining and the track started to dry up.

"We were expecting more water. Then we started to lose too much time. It was desperation. I tried to overtake Heidfeld in a place where you can't overtake. In Monaco you usually can't pass anywhere and neither there.

"So it was my fault. From there we needed a miracle," added the Spaniard, who went on to finish in 10th position.

Although Alonso's chances were looking good in the early part of the race, the Renault driver said he was not too worried about the missed chance.

"You can't have all your hopes pinned in one race," he said. "This year it's like that. We have to try to have good races and pick up good points.

"But it was worse for Kimi (Raikkonen), who is fighting for the title and left with no points. For us, if we don't score it's a shame, but it doesn't matter."