Monaco - Monte Carlo & La Condamine
Every fan wants to go, every star wishes to be seen here, every young karter dreams to race around it, and every driver races to win. Monaco is a race for the world.
This weekend was the 70th running of the Monaco Grand Prix, and some may say “boring” and “uneventful,” but I can’t help but disagree. Today, we were able to see the work of every single team and strategist working tirelessly to get as many points as possible. There may not have been an overtake in the top 10, but I think we got to see such a historically significant track give us what no other track can—in its own way, a good, hard, and “tricky” race.
Charles Leclerc
The first Monegasque driver to win in Monaco since the Grand Prix began in 1950, put in a huge effort, and I can’t even imagine what this means to him. He simply said he “can’t really explain how [he] feel[s],” and I am sure having an entire country behind him, and making that country proud as well, meant the world to him. He did it for them, his family, his father, and for the little boy who used to watch the cars roar past his window, making him fall in love with the sport.
Reflecting on the race, he said, “Mentally it was quite draining,” and that it “seemed to go on forever, but maybe that made it even nicer.” I can’t imagine the nerves and every situation running through his head as he must “pray nothing’s going to happen” and feel “the emotion growing.” After having quite the unsuccessful track record at this track, he would have been very anxious about Formula 1’s tendency to keep everyone on their feet.
In terms of keeping the lead, it was evident that he, along with most of the grid, had to manage his tyres perfectly, meaning quite the slow pace. However, in the last few laps, he really did build a gap from Oscar.
In a post-race interview with his brother, former F2 driver Arthur Leclerc, with a smile not leaving his face, he reminisced on the “years [they] just dreamed to be racing here.” So, having him “win here is just something over the moon.” He also mentioned their father, wishing he “was here to see this moment," which comes from a stroy that is truly heartbreaking but beautiful. After he lied to his father before he died saying that he had made it into Formula before he had just to let him pass knowing all their hard work paid off and their dream was achieved. Little did he know he would win in their city just a few years later.
Kevin Vs Sergio
Kevin, after a tough few weeks and an even tougher Lap 1, states that he "was with [his] front alongside Perez’s rear from the exit of Turn 1, in the run-up to Turn 3," and that as Perez went towards the wall, he simply “had nowhere to go.” But it wasn’t just Sergio with frustrated opinions about a crash of this size, as Kevin states it is “a big cost for the team in terms of spare parts and making new parts,” to which the team will work tirelessly, devoted to getting the car ready for the next race weekend, in which they luckily have plenty of time.
Sergio Perez was one of the victims of Lap 1’s cruel tendencies; his car was destroyed into bits, but thankfully Sergio walked out and went for a stroll back to the paddock. He noted that they “sustained a lot of damage” and described it as “a very dangerous incident,” which it certainly was. Problems and errors in Formula 1 become very serious and detrimental very quickly.
Perez was very adamant that it was Kevin's fault completely and was “disappointed it didn’t get investigated.” This was said straight after the crash as he headed to the media pen to get the interviews out of the way, so these drivers have a lot of heat in the moment, as they are supposed to still be out there racing. He may have changed his mind as to whether the investigation should have gone ahead if not for being in Lap 1.
But I think we can all agree a crash of that magnitude and speed perfectly exemplifies the highest degree of safety that Formula 1 has reached, as he walked away with “a small graze to [his] elbow,” to which he is “grateful.”
video : F1 TV
Pierre Vs Estaban
Pierre wasn’t all too happy as he was presented in the media pen after a P10 finish. He wished to not explicitly detail what the circumstance was with Esteban but does declare that “these things should not happen.” I believe it is clear to anyone that the two Frenchmen have dealt with their fair share of disagreements. Being both very fierce drivers from similar backgrounds and coming into the sport with childhood rivalries, tension between the two cannot be disguised.
However, Pierre did end up having a successful race, gaining his first point of the whole season, and was extremely proud of his team's work that they have tirelessly committed to improving the car's performance.
Esteban and Pierre were involved again in a racing incident. The two teammates, in the first lap and after the crash between the Haas cars and Sergio, were practically on top of one another. Esteban states that “it was a hard launch in the air and a hard landing,” but he is okay. Yet, there was just too much damage for the team to restore the car to get it back on track for the restart, like Sainz was able to do.
Esteban admits, which is a difficult thing to do, that he “made a mistake today” and that he “apologizes.” I think we can all see, after all dealing with mistakes ourselves and being human, “mistakes do happen, and we move on,” which is exactly what Esteban wishes to do as well.
Ferrari
Carlos had a very nerve-wracking start as his puncture in turn one caused him to veer off the track safely. But the massive incident behind him did thankfully allow him to restart in P3. Carlos explained that in terms of strategy, with the restart and the new hard tyres, “it was just a matter of managing the pace until the end and making sure Lando didn’t have a window to pit.” Although “pace was strong,” the tight corners, the size of the cars, and being “on the same strategy,” it was impossible to pass Oscar to make it a Ferrari 1-2.
He did make sure to congratulate his Monegasque teammate, as “winning your home race is something every driver dreams of,” and for Carlos, it’s “good to be able to celebrate with him on the podium!”
McLaren
Oscar stood up on the podium once more in his second season, and being in Monaco, it must be a good feeling. Reflecting that it had been a “great weekend from start to finish” and it's "nice to finally get a result on the board,” after trying his best to “sneak” past Charles, it was simply deemed too hard, as it was for anyone in the top 10.
Personally, as an Australian watching Oscar do this—these podiums, racing around the world—there definitely is some patriotic pride seeing him on the second step, and it's simply a matter of ‘when’ instead of ‘will’ he be on the top.
Lando reflected and admitted that it “never [is] the most exciting race,” yet it is still “mentally… straining.” The tight corners, high-speed straights, lack of overtaking, and the ongoing pressure of trying to manage tyres to stay confident in their position would have really tested the drivers, as it is such a different race compared to the rest of the calendar. Yet it was “a good team result” and “a lot of points on the board,” so I believe from his expression Lando came out of the race quite happy and confident with his team, and the fact that it truly was the best they could do.
Williams
Alex took P9, obtaining the “first points of the season,” which must mean a lot for the team. Qualifying allowed Williams the P9 position and marked their highest starting position for a Monaco GP since 2011.
Alex mentioned it was a “very slow and painful race,” as he “was struggling to stay focused”—something I can't even fathom. These roads become so natural to them that they genuinely struggle to keep every thought on the race. How? The speed they go and each turn soaring towards them—they were traveling around 170-178 mph; that isn’t slow. Truly fascinating.
Logan, coming off the back of another pointless race, said, “At the end of the day, it was a tricky race.” He definitely struggled with the tires, but once he got fresher tires on, he “felt good.” Until then, there was just nothing left on them. He did feel a morale boost after his teammate’s points and is confident that from here on, the two cars will have the same “specs,” so he hopes to match the quality of Alex’s drives.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin have not had the start to the year they would have hoped for, certainly not like the one they had in the beginning of 2023. According to Fernando, Monaco was “unlucky again.” He believed the weekend as a whole was problematic for Aston Martin, as they always seem to be “in the wrong moment… and it was no different in the race.” But his eyes are set ahead for Canada, as they “need to get better.”
In all his enthusiasm, Lance was with the rest of the grid in agrrement of a tricky race. At one point, I did think something—anything—was going to happen when Lance’s tire seemed to fall off. However, the perfectness of the situation meant he was safely able to bring in his collapsing tire into the pits before its eventual falling off, so nothing obstructed the rest of the grid. This did however cause an extra pit stop for the young Canadian.
"In the end, it didn't work out so [he] missed out on scoring a point," leaving them in 5th place in the constructors, directly in the middle of the grid but quite a distance behind Mercedes. However, this weekend was able to show them they “need to find more pace.”
RedBull
After a brush with the barrier on his last lap in qualifying, Max was starting 6th on the grid, and well, he didn’t move—very secure in that 6th point-gaining position. His comments afterward in the media pen were brutal regarding the dreariness of the race, as he joked with George that they are going to go for a run since they “didn’t get much exercise” and that it was “terrible.” He isn’t wrong from his point of view, as "for most of the race [they] were all driving like 4 seconds off the pace."
But Monaco is just one of those very tricky and hesitant tracks where decisions are vital, and the decision to stay where you are to avoid putting the driver and their car in a dangerous position is a very hard but important one.
Max did state that “a season like last year doesn’t happen often” and that they “stay very strong as a team, don’t overreact, analyze the race, and go from there." I believe this is a good way to look at it. Coming off such, if not the most, successful season an F1 team has had and then immediately declining in skill, or just other teams catching up, there must be questions flying as to how they strive to better themselves once more.
photo : RaceFans.Net
Haas
Nico undoubtedly pulled the short straw as he was a victim of a crash he wasn’t involved in at all and is “gutted,” as one would be when they are “out after 500 meters.” In terms of Haas as a team, you never want to have both cars out due to the same crash. A double DNF is certainly not what the team was wanting to come into the weekend. Nico, being a bystander, does believe "it may be looked a bit optimistic from Kevin, but Checo could’ve also seen him and left room."
Racing Bulls
Yuki was able to find joy in such a slow race, as his first point in Monaco. He sees it as overall “a happy day". I do find it funny how much Yuki is trying to cool down his anger issues in respect of the team. I will admit I do love a Tsunoda blow-up, but he exposed that he “had to respect the strategy that [they] had planned” and “was a little frustrated, but [he] kept [his] cool and managed the pace.” I think the team has had a good weekend, at least on Yuki’s side.
Daniel had a lot to debrief on after the race today, struggling with the usual Monaco tendencies, as well as having battles with his car and Alonso in front of him. He did state that “if you don't qualify in the points, it's definitely hard to make it happen,” which is evident from today’s race.
Although there are “positives to take from this weekend,” he also is dealing with the “personal disappointment." He obviously knows he has much more to give to the sport. I believe, of course, I do not know, but I think he is struggling to live up to his expectations. Maybe it's the car, the highly skilled grid, but something isn’t the same with the fellow Aussie, and it’s been this way for a little bit now.
He does know the importance of winning a home race, as he wishes to still achieve down in Albert Park. But he acknowledges that “in the past [Charles] definitely experienced some highs and lows around this track, so he deserved it and [he’s] very happy for him,” which is nice to see. Although the sport is highly competitive against the 20 drivers that set out each race weekend, they can all connect and empathize with each other. They have all tackled the same journey, experiences, troubles, and achievements.
Sauber
Zhou is quite confident that “Montreal will be different," as Monaco showed them some challenges. It is key for Alpine to see the problems that occurred and understand why they “suffer on layouts like these.” He did describe the race well when he stated that all the teams “were all in the same boat,” so it is truly hard to compare the race from driver to driver; it's better to compare qualifying.
Valtteri spent “most of the race stuck in a train, which definitely wasn’t that fun.” It must be frustrating feeling so helpless in such a competitive and prestigious race. But he was one of the unlucky ones who, with the red flag, saw that anyone who opted for the soft tyres gained a large advantage from it.
Mercedes
George undoubtedly was disappointed with the red flag. He shared his thoughts prior to the first lights out when they “were on the hards and the four drivers ahead on the mediums.” He thought to himself, “this is perfect,” especially after the puncture from Carlos. His mind was immediately filled with hope, which you can never have too much of in such an erratic race. He asserted, “As soon as that red flag came out, everything went out the window.” From that moment on, he was set to control the pace, look after the tyres, and keep the fiery Max out of his rear-view mirrors as much as possible.
Hamilton gained good points for the team with a P7 and saw “plenty of encouraging signs” from the weekend. Although he does admit they must take “a step forward with the car” in order for them to fight with the teams ahead of them, who are unpredictably close. But he too was frustrated with the fact there was nothing they could do in the “non-eventful” race that occurred, although I believe it was quite the event myself.
In The Media
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In The Media ---
Honouring The King of Monaco
The weekend brought a special livery from McLaren in honor of Senna, their most successful driver. After dying 30 years ago this year, they decided they should honor his Brazilian colors that decorated his infamous helmet around the streets where he belongs. The King of Monaco is such a huge part of the sport, even decades after his death. He is a driving inspiration for the drivers of today and the ones that will come tomorrow.
Being a generation or two too late to witness Aryton rule the championships I certainly can see and appreciate his talent and devotion to the sport. A true GOAT
The team was blanketed in yellow, green, and navy—from their cars to the suits, to the helmets and pit crew. They did have to change the banners in the pit for Sunday so as not to confuse Lando and Oscar coming into the pit.
Photo: McLaren
Oscar Piastri-Leclerc
What a crazy weekend for the Leclerc family! Having a Leclerc 1-2 is truly exciting! But if you're confused about how Oscar has become a Leclerc and the whole story that all of F1 is going along with, I'll take you through a series of tweets to see how this escalated.
Oscar, before many races, tweets something like, “Good time to mention that I’m also 3/16 Italian?” in an attempt to get the home race love. But this weekend, he tweeted, “Searching my family tree to find any trace of Monégasque roots.” Then Charles replied his willingness to adopt him, and for FP1, the Formula 1 graphics team also went along with it, adding Leclerc to his name. The tweets kept coming throughout the weekend. Especially with the front row of Charles and Oscar, even Arthur Leclerc, the real brother of the F1 driver, was being asked about his thoughts on the adoption.
Formula 2 strikes again.
I have said it before and I'll say it again: Formula 2 is heavily underrated, as well as F3. I haven’t watched much of F1 Academy, but I am sure it deserves more praise than it gets.
But this weekend, as the future stars of the grid took on Monaco, an intense race was at hand. Two-time race winner for the season, Isack Hajar, a Red Bull junior driver, was on track for another win. All that stood between him and the podium was a series of drivers who hadn’t done their mandatory pitstop. On the final lap, it was just Zak O’Sullivan, the Williams junior driver, left to stop. Then an abrupt crash caused a Virtual Safety Car to come out, allowing the British/Irish driver to do his stop, making the most of his gap and the slow speed at which the grid had to follow. He came out still in the lead. After starting 15th on the grid he came out to score his first win in Formula 2 in his rookie season.
Watching Zak all season, having many struggles and often finding himself at the back of the pack, or at least not in the front, seeing him come to win was just something you don’t see much in modern F1 or over the past few seasons. A similar thing happened to former F2 driver Clement Novalak in Zandvoort last year.
So for anyone who hasn’t given F2 a shot yet, I truly think you should. It’s a good watch as you wait for the F1 race to start, as they often race a few hours before lights out.
photos: motorsport
Overall, this weekend was a rollercoaster of emotion, and I will always be a sucker for the streets of Monaco. Looking at the billionaire yachts in the bay, the excitement, and the history that I just know roars in the streets and as far as I can tell in the media. Being a great race for Charles himself, I think everyone can admit they weren’t disappointed with the Monegasque winning a race around the streets he grew up on. And for everyone else, the race was proven to be hard, but Monaco isn’t for the weak. Onto Canada
