Our man in Europe, Nick van der Meulen, takes a look back at the most glamourous Formula One Grand Prix in his report F1 Review Monaco 2022.
The Monaco F1 Grand Prix is generally the most glamorous round of the F1 calendar with the richest and most famous seen in the principality. F1 teams also tend to rise to the occasion by producing special liveries for the race and welcoming hordes of sports and film stars to the paddock. It has been rumoured that the iconic race may be at risk on the F1 calendar in future.
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A tough challenge
While it does not always produce stellar racing, it does produce stellar driving performances with the drivers being challenged at every turn – something that long-time fans can appreciate. They are gladiators, having to conquer this challenging circuit. While the likes of Zak Brown have stated that Miami, Las Vegas and Qatar can take over the jewel in the F1 crown that is Monaco, these venues lack the tradition, character and history.
Click here to read more about the uncertain future faced by the Monaco F1 GP.
The circuit has had novels written with the circuit, paddock and pizzazz as backdrop (Allan de la Plante’s “The summer of Arnie Trout” being a recent one of many) and many non-fiction books focusing on the Grand Prix. These new venues will not be able to fill that void should Monaco be left off the calendar in future.
Promising start
Ferrari looked very strong at the twisty street circuit, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz topping the timesheets on Friday. This was followed by Leclerc posting a scintillating time in qualifying on Saturday. The final session was red flagged with 30 seconds remaining, following Sergio Perez’s contact with the wall just before the tunnel. The second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz spun to avoid the incident, but still made contact with Perez, causing a traffic jam.
Click here to watch Charles Leclerc crash a classic F1 car in a recent event.
The two Ferraris ran at the front of the race after its delayed start, before the circuit began drying and drivers began to pit for intermediate tyres. Ferrari’s team management on the bench appeared to have botched the strategy somewhat (particularly for Leclerc). Both drivers pitted rather late in comparison to archrivals Red Bull. This left Sergio Perez (Red Bull) having to fend off Sainz, while Max Verstappen (Red Bull) managed to keep clear of Leclerc in pursuit. The front four took the chequered flag in line astern after the two-hour time limit was reached.
However, Ferrari has lodged a complaint against its nearest rivals on the day. Both Red Bull drivers crossed over the demarcated line while exiting the pits. At the time of writing Red Bull Racing representatives were called to the stewards’ office.
Race stoppage
The race was red-flagged twice. The first due to inclement weather conditions. The second was on lap 30 following Mick Schumacher’s heavy contact with the wall at the swimming pool section. The crash destroyed his machine but thankfully the German walked away unscathed. The weather conditions at the race start was akin to that of Spa last season. So the question arises as to why they couldn’t start anyway?
The race ran in extreme weather conditions in 1972 (Jean Pierre Beltoise took his only victory and BRM’s last against the might of Jacky Ickx in the Ferrari). And again in 1984 (where Prost narrowly won from a charging rookie in Ayrton Senna). While other races ran in such conditions too (Canada ’81, Portugal ’85, Germany ’07 come to mind)…
Best of the rest
George Russell (Mercedes) was, again, best of the rest on race day. Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes) also produced a fine drive to finish sixth. The Alpine team of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon (along with team management) conspired to keep Lewis Hamilton behind them.
Although Ocon received a penalty for his robust defending against Hamilton that race resulted in the Englishman damaging his front wing. Alonso finished seventh ahead of Hamilton, while Ocon crossed the line ninth before his penalty (which dropped him to 12th). Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) and Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin-Mercedes) took the final points available on offer.
Worth noting
Honourable mentions: Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri-Honda) drove solidly. The Frenchman carved his way through the field in the early stages after his poor qualifying position. However, his progress halted when the race was stopped for the second time.
Verstappen increased his world championship lead over Leclerc to nine points, while Perez is a mere six points further adrift. Russell remains fourth in the standings, 26 points behind Perez and only one point ahead of Sainz. Red Bull commands a 26-point lead over Ferrari who are, in turn, 49 points clear of Mercedes. McLaren is fourth in the standings, a massive 70 points behind Mercedes and 11 points ahead of Alfa Romeo.
The eighth round of the world championship takes place at Baku, Azerbaijan, on 10-12 June 2022. This is another tight, twisty circuit where overtaking will be a challenge.
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