The 2021 Monaco GP will hardly go down as a race for the ages but there were some high points. We analyse the talking points from this race.
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The 2021 Monaco GP will hardly go down as a race for the ages. The narrow street circuit of Monte Carlo is a race steeped in history but a lack of overtaking reduces some of the drama. Nevertheless, it is a race all drivers look forward to due to its challenging nature. This year’s Formula 1 race was the first at the venue since 2019 due to a coronavirus-induced break last year. Fans also saw a first-time winner in Max Verstappen take the top of the podium. Yet while Red Bull had a near-perfect race, many other teams were left with more questions than answers.
We look at the major talking points from the Monaco GP 2021.
That Max Verstappen had never won a race or finished on the podium at Monaco was well-known. Yet the Verstappen of 2021 is a different animal. Armed with a car that can consistently challenge for wins, the Dutchman is showing the best form of his career. And his win in Monaco sees him lead the world driver’s championship.
Sergio Perez might not have finished on the podium, but his fourth-place finish was enough to put Red Bull atop the constructors championship too. Red Bull were always favourites coming into this race but you still have to deliver the goods. Of course, they did get some major assists from their rivals…
The defending world and constructor’s champions had an off day by their own high standards. Lewis Hamilton started the race in 6th, although Valtteri Bottas did well to start 2nd. However, Hamilton ended the race in 7th and Bottas, amazingly, did not finish.
Hamilton cut a frustrated figure all afternoon, especially when an attempted undercut strategy did not work. For Bottas it was worse. The Finn entered the pits and the Mercedes crew struggled to get his front right tyre off. A faulty wheel nut meant the tyre change couldn’t be done and he had to retire. The good news is that things can only look up from here, surely?
Ferrari started the race in the worst way possible. On a warm-up lap, pole-sitter Charles Leclerc complained of issues on his gearbox. This was especially significant since he had crashed on Saturday but used the same gearbox on Sunday as the mechanics saw no visible signs of damage.
To make matters worse, Leclerc did not make it to the grid on time and thus didn’t even start the race. It continues a frustrating run of form at his home race for the Monaco native. Thankfully for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz took the podium in second and salvaged a weekend that could have gone wrong despite the Italian team’s recent resurgence.
Poor Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian driver has been in a state of perpetual struggle at the start of his McLaren career and in Monaco, didn’t even finish in the points. It’s not as if the car is a bad one; his teammate Lando Norris has finished on the podium twice, including in Monaco.
Ricciardo has stressed on the fact that he’s still learning how to get the best out of the car. For his and the team’s sake, that time needs to come sooner rather than later.
Like Ricciardo, his former Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel has also struggled at new team Aston Martin. The four-time world champion has largely been outclassed by Lance Stroll, a driver who is yet to win a race. Yet at Monaco, Vettel managed a respectable P5 finish.
This isn’t necessarily a sign that they have turned a corner; Monaco is known for throwing up odd results across the grid. But this combined with the pace they showed in qualifying is a positive sign, and something for the Lawrence Stroll-owned team to build on.
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