Writing has always been something I’ve enjoyed doing. I was that girl in primary and secondary school who loved the ‘big writes’ at the end of the week when most other people would groan and complain. It’s probably a little weird, looking back at it, but I know that it’s that enthusiasm that’s going to help me out here. Can’t say I’ve ever written a blog before, though, and I’m not even one-hundred percent sure of the etiquette or style so apologies if this is not like any other blog you’ve read (although that might be a good thing). It’s going to be casual and a learning process in order to better understand the inner workings of my chosen focus. In addition to writing, Formula 1 is something I’ve been passionate about since I was little. I remember watching the races every Sunday at my Nan’s house during Sunday dinner, feeling the highs and lows that are often associated with the sport. She would watch it for the lap one incidents whereas I would have my eyes glued to the screen until the final car crossed the line.
You may know me from my podcast, you may know me in real life, or you might not know me at all. Either way, you’re definitely going to get to know me a lot better from these blog posts and I apologise in advance for any over-sharing or unrelated tangents. As stated earlier, I am new to this style and am learning as I go. Apologies if the tenses switch during the action-writing - it’s often that I’m typing these posts as I watch, but then again, it’s also a report which feels better in the past tense. Mistakes will be made so just spare that as a thought.
There’s no better race to start blogging for than Monaco, except maybe the first race of the season. Cut me some slack; I didn’t have my act together then and I apologise. I’m writing this instead of a university assignment due in on Monday because this is just so much more exciting (unless you’re my university professor, then that's a lie and my assignment is all done and ready for that first). Ironically, the assignment I’m putting off is also a blog post, however it’s biology related so my priorities are right where I want them to be, and that’s with F1. I warned you about the tangents so you don’t get to complain.
After a quick google search, I now have countless facts at my fingertips regarding this Monaco Grand Prix, as well as the history of this iconic circuit. The track uses 3.337km (2.074 miles) of the streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine, the shortest circuit on the current calendar. Don’t let size deceive you, however, as this is arguably the most prestigious and enviable track to secure a win on the calendar. Winning in Monaco makes up a third of the triple crown of motorsport. The race itself has the shortest distance of any Grand Prix as it doesn’t adhere to the 305km minimum distance usually enforced by the FIA. 78 laps make up the 260,286km (161.734 miles) race distance, including nineteen corners (eleven right, eight left) and one DRS zone, which is along the start/finish straight. Among other things, it is also the narrowest track on the calendar, with barriers lining the edges of the circuit, making any sort of mistake more costly - fitting for the lavish and expensive lifestyles of most who live in Monaco, if you ask me. The first race pre-dates the Formula 1 championship and was held way back in 1929, won by William Grover-Williams. The first F1 winner was Jaun Manuel Fangio in 1950, his first win of many at the start of a successful career. The most recent winner from the 2019 Grand Prix was Lewis Hamilton, who also set the fastest ever lap time around the city streets during the qualifying session of the same year. The driver with the most wins (six) is the late Ayrton Senna, and McLaren have the most constructors wins (fifteen).
The weather for the weekend was forecast to be sunny and warm, a slight possibility of rain on Saturday, perhaps, but knowing our luck, it’ll be bone dry throughout. Lets hope I don’t jinx it! This race marks a momentous milestone for Williams as it is their 750th Grand Prix entry this weekend. I’m sure we can all get behind them in support and keep our fingers crossed that their future races won’t be points-less. McLaren brought a slightly different livery to the streets of Monaco, brandishing a pale blue as the dominant colour to pair their signature orange. I, personally, love the livery and would love for them to keep it. Can I get a petition started for all teams to have to have a different livery for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend? Please? Whilst on the topic of McLaren, I’d also like to express my excitement that Lando Norris’ contract has been extended, something that was revealed in the week preceding the Grand Prix. I’m rooting for nothing but success and I hope to see McLaren as a championship fighter once more.
One driver in particular looking to strike it lucky in Monaco is their own Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver has yet to actually finish a Monaco Grand Prix, something I’m sure he’ll be looking to change heading into the weekend. One thing’s for certain, he’s going to give it his all to give the best performance he can. He may be short of finishes here, but his support from the fans is unrivaled. Again, hope this isn’t a jinx. Max Verstappen would definitely want a bit of luck, too, as he is fourteen points behind Lewis Hamilton and looking to close the gap. He has yet to land a podium in Monaco after a penalty denied him the honour last time out, so I don’t doubt he’ll be looking for a step on that podium.
You’d have thought that after watching Formula One for the twenty years I’ve been alive, I’d be used to the Monaco timetable, but no - that would suggest I have a good memory. The Thursday practice sessions caught me off-guard. I had this whole mindset going that I was going to get myself up bright and early so that I’d be able to cover the entire weekend, but here I am at quarter-past eleven half-asleep as I watch the final bits of FP1. The first thing I want to bring attention to is how amazing it was to hear a female commentator for the session. Such a breath of fresh air and another step in the right direction for Formula 1 as a whole and it’s stance on improving diversity. Moving on to what actually happened during FP1, I’ve gathered from Annika in the group chat (who doubles as my partner in the podcast) that it had been relatively calm with the occasional blocking here and there, and the first of (probably) many clipped wings thanks to Fernando Alonso as he explored the grip or rather lack thereof on the circuit. Hopefully Charles Leclerc’s engine failure isn’t a bad omen or insight to the rest of the weekend - if anyone on the grid could do with a little bit of luck around Monaco, it’s him. I want nothing more than to see him do well at his home Grand Prix. If Carlos’s initial performance is anything to go by, Charles could certainly be challenging the top teams with him. The Spaniard was only a tenth and a bit off the fastest time set in that first practice session - a 1:12.487, which was achieved by Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on the faster, red-walled soft tyres. Checo’s teammate, Max Verstappen, was one and a half tenths off in third, however he shouldn’t be too displeased with his performance as he was on the medium tyres. The yellow marked compound is expected to be slower because of the reduced grip, and, on top of that, he finished ahead of both Mercedes. If that didn’t brighten his day, I don’t know what will.. Pierre Gasly set the fourth fastest time on softs with a 1:12.929, sneaking ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas respectively who were both on mediums and completed much fewer laps than most cars on the grid. Lando Norris was the highest placed McLaren in P7, setting his fastest time on the mediums. His teammate is more than likely disappointed with P15, however with blocking and adapting to the new car, I’m sure he’ll be matching his teammate before the weekend is over. Sebastian Vettel (mediums), Yuki Tsunoda (softs), and Kimi Raikkonen (hards) rounded out the top ten. All four Honda-powered cars in the top ten during this first practice session certainly showed promise. On the contrary, it is only the first session and so a given that the order will be shuffled as teams and drivers adapt and improve. These results certainly have me optimistic for a close and exciting Monaco Grand Prix. Data collected from the official Formula 1 app, full and detailed FP1 results below:
During the second practice session, it didn’t come as a surprise to see Charles Leclerc as one of the first drivers out because of his lack of running in the first session. It must be frustrating for the drivers when other cars start to queue to start their laps, therefore getting in the way when they reach the penultimate corners. The lap times being set are not the fastest we’ll see this weekend. You’d have thought that I’d have my head wrapped around how quick these cars go by now, but wow - it really is incredible. Blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of speeds. I would not want to be where Martin Brundle was standing at turn fifteen; just watching how close those cars could get to the barrier is enough to make me wince. The session wasn’t completely without incident, unfortunately. I don’t doubt Mick is beating himself up after a run in with the barrier at the top of the hill, causing him to retire his wounded car on the escape road at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully, the impact was only minor and he was completely okay. The advertisement on the barrier, however, was far from okay, peeling away from the main structure to expose the very little damage underneath. It did, ultimately, bring out the red flag and, as his car was unable to be recovered in time, the second practice session ended five minutes short of the full hour. The cars were not allowed to re-enter the track for practice starts, which is apparently a big deal. Excuse me as I learn, I promise I’ll pay attention to more things as I get used to this blogging malarky. As expected after FP1, Charles Leclerc certainly appeared competitive this session and topped the times with a 1:11.684, a tenth ahead of his Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Valtteri Bottas finished behind the Ferraris in the order that they are written, separated by just thirty-three thousandths of a second, with the Brit showing his pace on the medium compound of tyres. Once again, Daniel Ricciardo seemed to struggle, only managing a time good enough for fifteenth whilst his teammate, Lando Norris, was up there in P6. The rest of the top ten was filled out by Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Sebastian Vettel. Everyone except two set a fastest lap in the top ten on softs, the outliers being Hamilton (as previously stated) and Giovinazzi - pretty impressive stuff from the Alfa Romeo. Data collected from the official Formula 1 app, full and detailed FP2 results below:
I always see the second practice session, especially at Monaco because it is on a Thursday, as the session where drivers can afford to really push and test the car. You can argue about it all you want about how they’re always pushing, however if mistakes were to be made during the session which warrants an extensive repair, it’s less costly. If you crash in FP1, you risk your car not being ready for FP2; if you crash in FP3, you risk jeopardising your qualifying; if you crash in qualifying, you’re not going to start the race where you want to; if you crash in the race, you’re out. Crashing in FP2 gives the team the opportunity of fixing the car overnight and allows for the driver to spend some time away to collect themselves before the next session. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I do expect to see drivers going to the limits, and perhaps beyond as they establish their race runs. Luckily for the drivers, we didn’t witness any significant crashes and damage, although Mick’s puncture and contact with the wall was far from ideal.
The red-flagged end to FP2 was a rather anticlimactic way to close a Thursday of action. Now we have a day's break before I have to write about any more F1 action, although the entire weekend will be grouped into this one blog post so you’ve already done the waiting. I’ll have plenty to write about, I’m sure, with the F2 Friday action. I think I should probably point out that any and all predictions I make in this entry will remain truthful and won’t be edited to make me look smarter than I am. I’ve not been right yet and I don’t intend to start any time soon.
***
Saturday! Arguably my favourite day of a race weekend if the race on Sunday is particularly boring. Here, you really get a chance to see the pace of these cars as they push to the limits and how they directly compare to those around them. The AWS predictions always like to tease us with their predictions for qualifying, but I don’t think they’ve been all that accurate yet. The final practice session acts as, well, the final practice. It is the last session dedicated to collecting data for the race and plays a key role in qualifying preparation. Cars will be pushing towards the end on low-fuel, qualifying simulations and will be a good indicator of what’s to come later in the afternoon.
The morning kicked off with a wet track, which thankfully had a chance to dry up during the second F2 sprint race and the sun, which seems to prefer to hide behind the grey clouds overhanging Monaco like a veil. The track was therefore a lot cooler than the previous sessions on Thursday, meaning that the drivers needed multiple laps around the circuit to get their tyres into the optimum window. Even those on the softest compound that Pirelli offer at a Grand Prix weekend required additional heat generated on the cool circuit. The marbles and rubber that naturally cover the track were washed away, leaving a clean slate for the drivers to navigate. Daniel Ricciardo, notably, was one to criticise the traction he had on track, giving the McLaren crew something to improve on his car.
No-one seemed too eager to jump out of the pits. There was a sense of calm amongst the teams. Any time the camera would pan into the garages to catch a glimpse at the working teams, they had an air of tranquility - not something you see often during a race weekend. The initial role of pace-setter went to Ferrari; they appeared to have the upper hand and could be extremely competitive should the trend continue. The Red Bulls and Mercedes cars are never far behind and it’s a sure bet that they’ll be giving it everything to deny a prancing horse dominance. It’s critical that every driver keeps some distance between their car and the wall; a crash at this point could completely ruin their qualifying chances and make the fighting through the pack so much more difficult. There was a near miss between Lando Norris and his former McLaren teammate, Carlos Sainz, which could’ve seen the Brit plowing into the back of the Ferrari if it hadn’t been for his quick reflexes. If they thought it was crowded in FP3, I don’t doubt there’ll be some choice words of annoyance over the radio. Nicholas Latifi made a costly error at the swimming pool section, sending his Williams straight into the barrier and bringing out the red flag, interrupting Mercedes especially as they had spent a large portion of the session in the pits. Not exactly according to plan when the Mercs appear on the back foot already. On the plus side for Latifi, his car didn’t look as damaged as I’ve seen cars in the past look after an accident at that corner (thinking back to Max’s crash a few years back that put him at the back of the grid) - he should make qualifying. If any team can put a car back together in time, it’s Williams. Tragedy struck when Mick Schumacher lost the back end of his car as he came out of Casino Square… my heart just hurts for him. I applaud how hard he’s pushing the car, but he can’t afford to keep doing that when Haas has such a limited budget - Mazepin has more than likely used up a lot of the reserves, already. Unfortunately, the impact was so heavy that there wouldn’t be enough time to repair his car before qualifying later in the day. It’s Schumacher’s fifth race and he’s already breaking my heart. For results, Verstappen finally had the edge over the Ferraris with a 1:22.296. I’m sure he was feeling especially optimistic heading into qualifying after seeing his championship rival, Lewis Hamilton, only in seventh. The other Mercedes was only good enough for P4, forty-seven hundredths off the pace set by Verstappen. Valtteri Bottas preceded Sergio Perez and Lando Norris in fifth and sixth respectively. The rest of the top ten was made up by Kimi Raikkonen in eighth, Pierre Gasly in ninth, and an impressive performance put Sebastian Vettel in tenth, which means that he finished in the top ten for every practice session so far. It should be noted that I am a huge Seb fan (who isn’t, let's be real) and to see him getting the better of an only-okay car is the serotonin I need to recover from Ferrari’s season last year. A Q3 appearance will just be the extra je ne sais quoi. Mick Schumacher looked promising for a Haas before his crash, having the fourteenth fastest time (if you’ve been following the season so far, you’ll know that’s as good as a miracle), making it even more of a shame that he won’t be taking part in qualifying. On the small bright side, he will be allowed to start the Grand Prix. Data collected from the official Formula 1 app, full and detailed FP3 results below:
Grey clouds continued to loom over the hills behind the breath-taking Monaco skyline, just teasing us for a dramatic qualifying. We may not have seen the rain, but we didn’t need it for a drama. I ended up watching the qualifying in the passenger seat of the car so couldn’t write it live - I’m really beating myself up about it now because so much happened! Ah! Okay, I’ll try and cover all of the drama, but forgive me if there’s a bump here or there that I miss.
Only nineteen cars were on track at the start of the qualifying session, with the twentieth still under repair, it's driver looking upset with himself as he watched on. I’m sure Mazepin was relishing in his failure because it finally meant he would be able to outqualify a teammate! I’d like to think Mick will get Mazepin at the first corner of the first lap, but that’s thinking too far ahead - focus is on qualifying only right now, Alyssa. The early pace in Q1 was established by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, which wasn’t a surprise because of his performance so far this race weekend. His time was eventually beaten by the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who showed promising pace in his McLaren. Like the previous session, it was evident that the one out-lap wasn’t enough to generate the necessary heat into the tyres, and so we saw a lot of drivers go for two. Even after fourteen laps on track, Lewis Hamilton only managed a time good enough for seven in the end, a huge shock when he’s normally the one to establish an early dominance. There were a few mistakes on his fastest lap and so I’m sure everyone was as optimistic as I was that he’ll improve in the later qualifying rounds, unless you’re one of those people who critique everything Hamilton does. He didn’t need the fastest time to get through to Q2, though, just enough to be better than the slowest four. The other Mercedes driver showed what I’m sure he would describe as a metaphorical middle finger to his haters when he set the fastest lap time of Q1 - the only driver to dip into the 1:10s at that stage. One thing for certain that was indicated from this first qualifying session was that it was going to be super competitive throughout - seven different teams were in the top ten. Despite valiant efforts, Fernando Alonso was unable to produce a time good enough for Q2 and will be starting the Monaco Grand Prix in seventeenth, behind Yuki Tsunoda who was knocked out in sixteenth, and ahead of Nicholas Latifi in eighteenth and Nikita Mazepin in nineteenth. It was close margins and unfortunate for those who couldn’t scrape through (except Mazepin; that Haas was never going to get close to Q2).
The fifteen remaining cars took to the track after the short break between sessions. Everyone had their eyes set on the top ten and it was arguably achievable for any and all of them - it came down to the final laps after the checkered flag was waved. Once again, Ferrari were quick on track and both of their drivers set times good enough to be comfortably within the safe-zone. All of the drivers needed to remain vigilant as the track evolution at Monaco was showing its power. I don’t recall a time where a driver didn’t go for a fast lap and not improve on their previous time. The teams also had to start thinking strategy here; those who qualify in the top ten will start the race on the tyres they used to set their fastest lap, so they couldn’t afford to flat-spot or degrade their tyres. In the end, all fifteen drivers were covered by just twelve tenths of a second. Giovinazzi certainly kept us all on our toes by waiting until the final few minutes to make an attempt to escape the knock-out zone. The Alfas had been showing pace all weekend and a Q3 appearance was brushing against the tips of his fingers. To the excitement and relief of the whole Alfa Romeo team, they found themselves in Q3 for the first time this season thanks to the Italian driver. Kimi Raikkonen was only two tenths slower than his teammate, who finished the session in tenth, however will be starting the race from fourteenth, ahead of George Russell. The main shock of the session came when Daniel Ricciardo failed to set a time good enough to make it into Q3 and will have to settle for twelfth, a disappointment after his previous fortune at Monaco. He later went on to describe his frustration and confusion after the elimination, saying, “there’s still a bit of digging to do” regarding finding performance in his car. Lance Stroll joined Daniel in being eliminated from Q2 with a time good enough for thirteenth, as well as Esteban Ocon, who will be starting the Monaco Grand Prix from eleventh.
Seven different teams were able to make it into Q3, one of the more diverse results we’ve seen in a while. Mercedes, especially seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, didn’t look like they were holding anything back and their lack of performance was concerning. It was pretty clear going into the session that pole position would go to a different team, a pleasant break from Lewis Hamilton’s dominance. Max Verstappen was keen to get his first Monaco pole, but crowd-favourite, Charles Leclerc, looked mighty in his Ferrari and showed pace that could deny the Dutchman. In my opinion, there were four drivers who really had a shot at pole - Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and Valtteri Bottas. The Ferraris were set to have their best qualifying since their dip in performance that started at the beginning of the 2020 season. Red Bull’s strategy with Max differed slightly from the other teams; he opted to go out for his second run earlier than the other cars so that he could have plenty of time to get his tyres up to temperature and complete a third lap. The expectation everyone had was that the final laps set would be the fastest because of track evolution. Furthermore, the threat of rain was looming and so Red Bull didn’t want to be caught out by any sort of spotting. After the first runs, Leclerc had the edge over Verstappen and Sainz, with the Mercedes just behind them. It was a surprise to see Hamilton setting a time that was three-quarters of a second off the pace. With two minutes of the session remaining, Hamilton only had the seventh fastest lap time, even being beaten by Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly who both have cars with the usual disadvantage to the Mercedes. The time for setting the final and fastest laps were upon the drivers. A mistake from Perez meant that he would have to find time to go again or settle for ninth on the grid, only beating Antonio Giovinazzi. Everyone was improving and Verstappen, Sainz, and Bottas all had one goal in mind - beat Leclerc’s time and secure that pole position. All three started on a flying lap after one another. Max Verstappen looked the most promising, his time already the two-tenths up he needed to beat Leclerc. He would be denied in the most frustrating circumstances. Provisional-pole man Charles Leclerc was closing up on a flying lap when he turned in at the swimming pool section too early. His front right tyre clipped the wall, ruining his front suspension so that he could do nothing but collide with the wall on the exit of the corner. Everyone who had been on a flying lap was unable to complete it because of the red flag that was brought out. The limited time meant that no-one would even be able to complete a lap after the red flag, and thus the final qualifying session came to an abrupt end. The top ten in qualifying, from P1 to P10 are as follows: Leclerc, Verstappen, Bottas, Sainz, Norris, Gasly, Hamilton, Vettel, Perez, and Giovinazzi. I don’t remember the last time Lewis and Seb shared a row on the grid, and I certainly didn’t expect to see it happening any time soon with their cars' difference in performance. Full results for qualifying can be found below and were collected from F1’s official site and correct at the time of writing:
“Everything was on the limit and I just pushed too much” - Charles Leclerc
“We start in the points, and we have a good chance of staying there” - Sebastian Vettel
“Obviously it’s very very frustrating...it’s not everyday that you get the chance to go for a pole lap - to not even have that chance is frustrating… You never know how many chances you have in your life to win around Monaco” - Carlos Sainz
“Clearly from the start, they [Ferrari] seem to have a very good car around here… The red flag was disappointing, but that’s racing" - Max Verstappen
***
Sunday afternoon - the sun is shining and it is set to be a beautiful day to watch the Monaco Grand Prix. It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for where the drivers try to convert the weekend’s hard work into points. Heading into the race, just fourteen points separate Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the fight for the championship. With five places between the two, this looked to be a key opportunity for the Red Bull driver to reduce the gap, or potentially take the lead for the first time in his Formula 1 career. If Max were to win, Lewis would need to finish either fourth, or fifth with the fastest lap, to maintain his championship lead. If Max were to finish second, Lewis would only need to finish eighth as a minimum. It’s Monaco - anything can happen.
It is official - the people of Monaco may adore Charles, but the circuit is his nemesis. It was thought before the race that he would be able to start, Ferrari confirming that his gearbox was okay after his accident in qualifying. Everyone’s hearts collectively sank when the news was revealed that he would not start from pole, but from the pitlane, and then mine just shattered when it was revealed he would not be able to start the race at all. A left drive shaft issue would be irreparable before the start of the race and so Charles does not get his shot at redemption after years of misfortune. He still took part in the ‘We Race As One’ action and stood with his fellow drivers for the national anthem. Max Verstappen was therefore promoted to pole, however will maintain his spot in the P2 grid box. Red Bull would’ve much preferred to have him on the right-hand side of the grid.
Annika, Emily and I gave our race predictions before learning of Charles’ DNS and could not change them in time. A shame, really, and just leaves the question up in the air - what would have Charles achieved if he took part? I guess our guesses are as good as any. One of us got it right, but you’ll just have to look back at who after the race discussion.
The formation lap was led and controlled by Max Verstappen. He would want to keep the cars as close together as possible so he’s not waiting on the grid for too long. However, he also didn’t want to take it too slow and start on cold tyres. In nine of the ten last races, there has been a safety car, which could definitely mix things up during the race. From Max Verstappen to Esteban Ocon, as well as the two Haas drivers, softs were the tyre of choice. Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda were the only cars on the hards, with the remaining cars on the medium compound of tyres.
One, two, three, four, five - light out.
Valtteri Bottas appeared to have a good initial launch and immediately took advantage of the clear space ahead of him. Verstappen beside him had an equally good start and was able to deny the Mercedes a pass and establish his lead before reaching the first corner. As always, everyone was tightly packed and tiptoed their way through the first corner. There were a few lockups, but nothing major enough to warrant pointing out. A couple of drivers, such as Ocon, opted for the shorter route through the corner and cut it entirely. Drivers can usually get away with doing that at the start because of how crowded race starts are, and it seemed that he did, too, despite gaining an advantage. Ocon emerged battling with Perez, who started two places ahead of him, however was eventually beaten by Giovinazzi behind and found himself back in tenth. At the hairpin, most cars took the single-file route through the bend except for the Haas. Mick seized an opportunity to put his car up the inside of his teammate, taking eighteenth place a few corners after I had predicted. At least I got the right lap. Now the question regarding Mazepin is when will he be lapped, and will he obey blue flags?
The pace of the Red Bull was enough to tempt Sergio Perez into looking for a move past Sebastian Vettel, however, the Aston Martin was able to position his car perfectly to deny him. DRS here can be helpful, however the pace advantage usually has to be significant in order to warrant an overtake. Overtaking difficulty was proved a few seasons ago when Lewis Hamilton couldn’t get past Daniel Ricciardo despite the then Red Bull driver nursing a significant engine problem and reduction in power-deployment. To make an overtake stick here, you need to be fast, brave, and audacious.
Typical Monaco style, the cars settle into a rhythm and maintain their positions. There isn’t much action on track as the drivers try to build and establish gaps in which they can complete a pitstop without compromise. There was a brief moment of worry for George Russell on lap twelve when he reported some issues with his engine, however this was quickly resolved and/or wasn’t a significant issue for the Brit. Shortly after the radio message, race control showed Mazepin a black and white flag for exceeding the track limits at the chicane at the end of the tunnel. His pushing was in vain as he couldn’t find a way to improve on last - exactly where I’d expect him to be. On lap nineteen, Lando Norris was shown the same flag for the same incident. Both cars needed to reign it in or else they could find a penalty coming their way.
Lance Stroll narrowly avoided disaster after jumping over the curb at the infamous swimming pool section. If he had turned his car in much more at entry, he would’ve found himself like Nicholas Latifi found himself during FP3 - in the wall. The lucky escape gave him the potential to earn his team some points and goes to show how close the cars are pushing the limits. A camera shot of one of the McLarens showed just how close the tyres and front wings get to touching the wall. These gaps are so small you’d struggle to fit your hand in the space.
Max continued to show his dominance out in the lead, Valtteri Bottas unable to find a way to attack the Dutchman. The pace of the leaders was evident in the fact that they were closing in on the back markers, catching Mazepin on just lap twenty-four. Gaps were still being made at the point of the race when Valtteri Bottas complained of his left-front tyre hurting his performance. It was proving quite difficult for the leaders; the cars behind them were lapping at a similar pace. It’s hard to pull a gap when those around you keep doing what you’re doing.
The first movement in the garages to indicate a pitstop came from the Mercedes pit crew at the end of the twenty-ninth lap. It was unclear at first whether it would be for Valtteri in second place, or Hamilton in sixth, but it all became clear when Valtteri didn’t come in. Lewis’s tyres were changed from the worn-out softs to the hards, expecting to last him for the rest of the Grand Prix. It wasn’t particularly special in any way, and the seven-time world champion emerged ahead of Giovinazzi on track - exactly the gap Mercedes wanted him to feed into. The first pitstop always seems to be the trigger for other teams to start pitting, and this wasn’t any different. The lap after, Valtteri Bottas is called into the pits. Unbeknownst to him or the team, his car would not be emerging back onto the circuit. The front right wheel seems to hate Mercedes and was the downfall of Bottas’s race. The wheel gun could not get the wheel loose, and neither could a second wheel gun that was brought over to help. It was a cross-fired wheel nut (whatever that means) and was the reason behind the car having to retire from the race. Valtteri doesn’t seem to be able to catch a break. A wheel-nut that wouldn’t budge is one of the more frustrating ways to end such a promising race as it was completely out of anyone’s control.
During the Mercedes pitstop kerfuffle, Pierre Gasly was called into the pits himself. His stop was to switch his softs to hards. A quick in-lap paired with a slow out-lap from Hamilton allowed for the Frenchman to maintain his lead over the championship leader. Lewis certainly let his frustrations known over the radio, and even more so after a pitstop from Sebastian Vettel on lap thirty-two put him down to seventh. The Aston Martin driver even managed to get ahead of Pierre Gasly, jumping up two spots after the pit stops into fifth.
On lap thirty-three, Carlos Sainz was called to pit to hard tyres from second place and emerged in third behind Sergio Perez who had yet to pit. Max started his complaints at his own tyres performance around this point in the race and his pace was starting to drop off. It was unsurprising to see him pit for the white-walled tyres the following lap, handing the lead to Perez. At this point, it was evident how much Checo had been looking after his tyres (he usually does a superb job, anyway) and he was able to push in the clean air and build himself a gap. Lewis, who was stuck to a slower lap time behind Pierre Gasly, was now at risk from losing position to the Red Bull. I would not want to be Bono at the moment Lewis was told this news - I cannot recall a time the Brit was so angry over radio. His fighting flame was being diminished by the lap as he struggled to see a potential positive outcome.
The time eventually came on lap thirty six and Perez emerged from the pits comfortably ahead of Lewis in an impressive fourth. After the round of pit stops from those who started on softs, the Max maintained his lead, ahead of Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Sergio Perez, Sebastian Vettel, Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, and Antonio Giovinazzi making up the top ten.
Once again, everything started to settle down. No-one was really close enough to think about challenging for a change in position. A moment to note came on lap fifty two when Lando Norris lapped his McLaren teammate. To add insult to injury, Daniel received a small small wave from Lando and could do nothing to recover to a better position. The laps continued to tick by and nothing - there was nothing. Not a yellow flag or penalty in sight. We were teased with some action as Sergio Perez chased down Lando Norris in third and we heard Norris frantic on the radio that his older tyres would not hold up in battle. As Monaco has proved before, this didn’t matter and he was able to keep ahead and find the pace to secure a podium.
The checkered flag was waved by the incredibly talented and world-renowned Tennis legend, Serena Williams. The first person to see it was Max Verstappen, who I’m sure crossed the line with a grin on his face to rival Danny Ric’s. This was his first podium and win in Monaco and he controlled the race from the get-go. Carlos crossed the line nine seconds after the leader, awarding him with second place ahead of his former teammate back at McLaren, Lando. Checo maintained fourth, while Sebastian Vettel finishing fifth earned him his best result of the season so far. Pierre Gasly followed him in sixth, and the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished a disappointing seventh, twelve seconds behind the AlphaTauri. This result allowed Max Verstappen to lead the drivers championship for the first time in his career, as well as allow Red Bull to take the constructor’s championship lead away from their close Mercedes rivals for the first time in the hybrid era. Lance Stroll finishing eighth gave Aston Martin a double points finish, something they deserve after a close weekend. The remaining two points positions were awarded to Esteban Ocon in ninth and Antonio Giovinazzi in tenth, his first points of the season. The rest of the finishers in the order that they finished are as follows: Raikonnen, Ricciardo (so sad), Alonso, Russell (decent from him), Latifi, Tsunoda, Mazepin, and Schumacher. The reason why Mazepin finished ahead of his teammate for the first (and hopeful final) time this season was because of the pit stops. The only overtaking move I can recall from the entire Grand Prix came from the Haas cars at the start, and perhaps when Sebastian Vettel emerged from the pits and had a mini battle with Gasly. There were no yellow flags either, which has to be a first around the streets of Monaco. It’s hard to believe the most exciting part was when Bottas was forced to retire in the pits. I wonder how different things would’ve been if Valtteri had pitted before Lewis in an attempt at a double stack and he’d have been held up. I think Lewis would’ve voluntarily retired his car at that point. He can at least hopefully find some consolidation in the fact that he’s leaving this weekend with some points, including a bonus point for the fastest lap. His down-trodden attitude certainly didn’t help the fans decide driver of the day, and I’m more than delighted to see it go to Sebastian Vettel after his superb performance during the race.
And the podium of Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Lando Norris was the conclusion to a rollercoaster weekend. Yeah, it may be considered one of the more uneventful Monaco Grand Prixs, however it marked a turning point in the championship. Mercedes have a lot of work to do if they want to retake their lead, and Lewis has to try and put the dismal weekend behind him. Baku is next - another street circuit, however the longest straight on the calendar could give Mercedes the edge they need to get back on top. One thing is for certain - the championship battle is more alive now than ever. Four points separate Lewis and Max for Driver’s. One point is between Red Bull and Mercedes for constructors, and there seems to be a burning battle for third between McLaren and Ferrari. See the table below for race results, as well as an updated Drivers and Constructors championship. Who’s your money on to pip it for the win?
“I don’t know what to say, I didn’t think I would be here today” - Lando Norris
“Ferrari as a team, they need to be happy [with] all the progress they’ve made [to] the car so far.” - Carlos Sainz
“I’m actually grateful for days like this, not saying I want them all the time. Just that it brings us closer, makes us work harder and hungrier.” - Lewis Hamilton via an Instagram post
Championship Standings after the Monaco Grand Prix 2021
Drivers
Constructors
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