#1064 2022 Monaco Grand Prix

Then, he talks about his favorite part of the circuit:

"My favorite part of the track is definitely the Piscine, which is the corner combination of two esses by the swimming pool. It just feels amazing, I really enjoy driving there. It's also where I learned how to swim as a child, so I have an emotional attachment to it, making it even more meaningful".

Subsequently adds:

"It was great to see so many people around the track today, considering that it is only Friday. It really makes me look forward to the next two days and hopefully we can give our fans a good result. We had consistent running and completed a good number of laps. We still have to fine tune the balance but, all in all, it wasn't too bad and we just need to make the usual step from Friday to Saturday now".

Leclerc’s statements are followed by the words of his teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr.:

"An encouraging day after completing our program and performing well on track. Monaco is always a demanding track, but also a very exciting and fun circuit to push the car. Qualifying will be tight tomorrow by the looks of today, but so far we're happy with the job we've done and the way we've been improving every time we went out on track. Now it's all about the small details and finding the perfect balance for qualifying tomorrow".

On Friday, May 27, 2022, the weather is sunny and provides the perfect conditions for motor racing. The first drivers to hit the track in the first free practice session of the weekend are Verstappen, Albon, Russell, Sainz, Perez, Vettel, Bottas, and Leclerc. The Ferrari driver is willing to perform well in is home race after dominating the Spanish Grand Prix and being forced to retire because of a Power Unit issue. Drivers start to familiarize with the track, a task complicated by the need to fully understand the handling of the new cars in such a peculiar street circuit like Monaco. After starting another flying lap, Leclerc goes wide at turn 1, the famous Sainte Devote, while there is a problem in the pits: Schumacher’s Haas VF-22 has a transmission issue and blocks the pit-lane entry, forcing Alonso to park his Alpine beside the young German’s car. The session is red-flagged with Verstappen on top with a time of 1'15"327. Lap times are going to be improved, and in fact it is home hero Charles Leclerc who sets the fastest lap at the end of the session with a time of 1'14"531 on medium tyres, after having had the chance to improve it several times with a strong first sector but then lifting in the other two. Same tactics used by Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., who is third just 0.070 seconds behind. It is in fact Sergio Pérez who sets the second-fastest time with a gap of just 0.039 seconds from Ferrari’s Monegasque driver. Verstappen is fourth, a little further away from the leading trio with a gap of 0.181 seconds, after having locked up and run wide at Sainte Devote corner as well as Leclerc. A good performance by McLaren team sees the Anglo-Australian duo of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo place in fifth and seventh position respectively, separated by Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri. George Russell, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton close the top-10, all on medium tyres except for the German, who has used the soft compound. The seven-time world champion is having a hard time in Monaco, where he won three times: he is suffering tremendous bouncing again with the problem of porpoising, emphasized by the high-downforce set-up required by Circuit de Monte-Carlo. The British driver expresses his frustration on the radio with his engineer Peter Bonnington. An unlucky start for Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver is forced to skip the whole session due to gearbox issues, hopefully he can hit the track in FP2:

"Not an ideal Friday, but we had a good recovery in FP2. We lost the first session with a power unit failure that took two hours to fix, which is a shame as this really is a track where you need every possible lap to get fully comfortable: you don’t get to do too many clean laps either, with all the traffic, to prepare for qualifying, so it will be crucial to have a good FP3. FP2 was effectively my first session of the weekend, so I took it step by step. I know there is a lot of performance still to find, both in myself and with the setup, and I still think we have the potential to be in the top ten tomorrow. The car felt ok and I know we can be in the mix for Q3".

A slight preoccupation makes his way through the Maranello-based team’s garage, since two Ferrari power units have suffered problems: Haas mechanics have replaced Schumacher’s MGU-H and transmission, while Bottas has also had an MGU-H failure. The ‘Men in red’ will probably keep an eye on the reliability of their power units ahead of such a crucial race for the Championship. The second free practice session starts with the top teams testing the hard tyres, but after less than twenty minutes the session is interrupted by a red flag because of Daniel Ricciardo’s crash: the Aussie had a heavy shunt approaching the ‘Piscine’ (swimming pool) Chicane, but luckily walks away unhurt. However, his car is badly damaged and McLaren mechanics will have to work hard to put it back together. For the moment, his Friday is over:

"FP2 was obviously a very short session with a crash on the first lap. We had a decent running earlier in the day, I feel it was a solid FP1, and we obviously just tried to push the car more and try a few things with set-up. I think we ultimately just pushed it a bit too far and I lost the car in the high-speed Swimming Pool. I did my best to catch it but obviously this track is so unforgiving that you can’t get away with anything. It is what it is: obviously it’s a long night ahead for the mechanics which puts a bit of a downer on the day - but I’m still not going to let it affect us into tomorrow. We know where we went wrong and we’ll fix it for tomorrow. Lando’s pace looked decent, so we’ll hopefully put ourselves back up there, in a good position tomorrow".

As practice resumes, his teammate Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll both use the run-off area at turn 1 after locking up and going wide at Sainte Devote. Sebastian Vettel has a moment at the fast Louis Chiron-S and miraculously saves his car by counter-steering promptly in order to avoid contact with the barrier. Another world champion in trouble: Lewis Hamilton locks up and runs wide at Mirabeau. As Tsunoda laments traffic, which is a very typical feature of the narrow streets of the Principality, his car is avoided by mere inches by the Haas of Kevin Magnussen, who cuts the Nouvelle Chicane in the port section after missing his braking point. The fastest time of the day is again set by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in 1'12"656 around halfway through the session. Now lap times are beginning to get closer to the ones set by the old generation of cars. The Monegasque precedes his teammate Carlos Sainz by just 0.044 seconds, while this time the two Red Bulls of Pérez and Verstappen are more distant, with a gap of 0.379 and 0.447 seconds respectively. Towards the end of the session all the teams decide to dedicate the last minutes to the race simulation, with Ferrari working especially with soft and hard tyres and Red Bull focussing instead on medium tyres. As FP2 comes to an end, it seems clear that Ferrari will be team to beat both in qualifying and race: not only are both of their drivers in great shape, but the F1-75 has shown great speed and stability with all the tyre options available. The Italian car appeared particularly strong in the last sector of the track, where great agility and traction are needed. Another driver worth of praise is Sergio Pérez, who has displayed good consistency over the two sessions and is willing to confirm his speed with a good Saturday:

"It’s really nice to be back driving in Monaco, it’s always fun out there! It has been a good few session today for us but the long runs were a bit difficult with the traffic, I couldn’t do more than two laps consistently. All in all we seem to be lacking a bit compared to the Ferraris, they seem really strong. We will analyse the data and see what we can do but they seem to be very quick today. We were a little surprised by the gap to them today, we were expecting a gap but not such a gap as we’ve seen today. It means there is plenty of work to do and we will see tomorrow, Q3 is when it matters".

Mercedes' other driver, Russell, fails his first lap and finishes far behind the former world champion. The arrival of the Red Bull Racing teams changes the standings: Pérez finishes in 1'14"369, beaten by Max Verstappen, who sets 1'14"295. Pierre Gasly rises to third, while in sequence, Leclerc, Kevin Magnussen, and Esteban Ocon move into the same position. Norris takes second, while Fernando Alonso now leads the timesheet. Pérez regains the top spot (1'13"292), a couple of tenths quicker than Verstappen. Shortly after, Sainz Jr. matches the same time as the Mexican. Pérez's time is beaten by Leclerc (1'12"939). Verstappen closes to just 0"054 behind Leclerc, while Hamilton climbs to fifth. Leclerc improves again (1'12"569), as does Sainz Jr., who moves up behind the Monegasque driver. The track improves with every lap. With just over two minutes left in Q1, Yuki Tsunoda lightly hits the barriers at Nouvelle Chicane, losing part of the hubcap. The race direction, to clean the track and check the efficiency of the barriers, imposes a red flag, halting the session. When the session resumes, many drivers still want to attempt another lap, but the large number of cars leaving the pit lane prevents everyone from completing their outlap before the checkered flag. Alexander Albon, Gasly, Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi, and Zhou Guanyu are eliminated. In the second phase, Verstappen sets a time of 1'12"551, beaten by Sainz Jr. in 1'12"074, before Sergio Pérez lowers the limit to 1'12"059. Leclerc takes third, just 33 thousandths behind the Mexican. Norris is fifth, ahead of Vettel, Tsunoda, and Ricciardo. Bottas drops to seventh. After two outlaps, Hamilton moves to fifth, while George Russell is two places further back. 

Both Ferrari and Red Bull return to the track. Verstappen improves but remains fourth. Sainz Jr. aborts his attempt, while Leclerc moves to first with 1'11"864, the fastest time of the entire weekend. Pérez climbs to second, also under the 1'12" mark. Daniel Ricciardo temporarily enters the top ten, while Lando Norris takes fourth from Verstappen. Hamilton, Russell, and Vettel also make it into the top ten. Tsunoda, Bottas, Magnussen, Ricciardo, and Schumacher do not advance to Q3. In the decisive phase, on the first attempt, Leclerc completes the lap in 1'11"376. Sainz Jr. places second (1'11"601), ahead of Pérez by 28 thousandths and Verstappen by 65. Norris takes fifth, ahead of Hamilton, Russell, and Vettel. Alonso moves up to fifth, two tenths faster than Norris. The other Alpine car, driven by Ocon, is only tenth. The British driver of McLaren, Norris, takes fifth from the Spaniard on his second attempt, while Russell also posts a better time than Alonso. With just over a minute remaining in Q3, Pérez spins at Portier: his car cannot be avoided by Sainz Jr., who arrives shortly after. Both cars are damaged and cannot be removed from the track quickly. The race direction interrupts the session with a red flag, definitively. At the same time, Alonso also hits the barriers at Mirabeau Haute. Charles Leclerc secures his second consecutive pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix, after the 2021 edition, and the fourteenth of his career, matching the number of pole positions held by Max Verstappen. It is also his third consecutive pole position in the championship. At the end of the Qualifying, Charles Leclerc is happy with this weekend’s performance so he pushed a bit more in Q3:

"I am very pleased with our overall performance so far this weekend. I felt confident in the car and started pushing a bit more in Q3. The first lap was good. I think that the second was one of the best laps I have ever done in qualifying. It was so much fun to drive and I was really on the limit. I had a lot of oversteer, so the rear was quite loose. Still, I knew that the lap was coming together nicely and that felt particularly good. It’s a shame that I couldn’t finish it, but this is Monaco and we know that the final attempt is always at risk of yellow or red flags. We secured pole anyway, so I am really happy. Whatever the conditions are tomorrow, we will start from the best place possible and will do everything to finish the weekend as smoothly as it has gone so far".

Carlos Sainz Jr. is happy with his P2, especially because of the traffic he met in his flying lap:

"It was a great build up throughout qualifying today, especially up until Q3 when unfortunately things got a bit messier. On my first attempt I had to overtake both Mercedes during my flying lap and I left a couple of tenths on the table, especially overtaking Hamilton at the swimming pool. However, I was confident for the second attempt until obviously Perez crashed in front of me". 

So he add:

"I did all I could to react quickly and avoid the crash, but it was too late. Things like this can happen in Monaco and unfortunately I was caught up in it again.  Overall, P2 is a decent position to start on Sunday and it’s a good day for the team with another front row lock-out and a good opportunity to score solid points tomorrow. Let’s race".

The fact that both cars are on the pole and were on the pace the Monaco’s circuit show that Ferrari has produced a good car, and Laurent Mekies, Ferrari’s Racing Director, says:

"We are very pleased with how qualifying went. The Monaco circuit is one of a kind and the fact that, even here the F1-75 was very much on the pace, shows that Maranello has produced a really good car. Congratulations to all the team and the drivers who were excellent. The Monaco weekend is always particularly tricky and Charles and Carlos dealt well with the pressure and the traffic, managing to make the car and tyres work at their best. Once again, Charles produced a superlative performance and, but for the red flag, could have gone even quicker. Right from the start of free practice, Carlos demonstrated that he had a great feeling for the car which allowed him to qualify on the front row, which will be very important for tomorrow. Unfortunately, on his second run in Q3, he spun to avoid Sergio Perez who had crashed just before the tunnel. There’s no denying we got a fright seeing the two cars stuck across the track and we hoped the red flags would come out as soon as possible. Fortunately, neither driver was hurt and now we will give the F1-75 a thorough check to ascertain the extent of the damage. We can expect a very long race tomorrow, which could be particularly tricky if it rains. Tonight, we will work on preparing for every eventuality. There are a lot of fans here supporting us and Charles in particular and we want to give them something to cheer about".

Sergio Perez is disappointed with how he ended the Q3, although he manages to remain in P3:

"I knew the timed lap in Q3 was very important but the outlap was even more so, with people not respecting the delta and so I ended up in the final sector with tyres that were too cold and I nearly lost it in turn one. I was thinking the tyre would pick up grip and warm up but it just didn’t and it’s a big shame what happened. I was losing lap time in turn eight so I tried to anticipate the corner very early but it just didn’t work and while, it is frustrating to end the day like this, we have still qualified in the top three in Monaco. I am very sorry for my Team, it is going to be a long night for them but hopefully we can recover and be back tomorrow. It was just a precautionary check in the medical centre, I am all ok and now I am looking forward to tomorrow. I am on the good side of the grid so I would like to gain one or two positions, it will be tricky but I am up for the fight. It could be a wet track tomorrow so anything can really happen".

Max Verstappen complains about his pace during the weekend and the lack of perfect balance. In Q3, he could have done better but he did not manage to set a better time because he found traffic jam:

"In general my pace this weekend has been a bit of a struggle, I never really found the perfect balance. We were on for a good final lap in Q3, I was pushing to the limit on the last lap until I got to the corner where I hit a little traffic jam! It was very unfortunate as I think we could have done better than fourth, not pole position, because I think that Charles is too far ahead, but I think we could have at least got second place. That’s Monaco for you though, it’s completely unpredictable and there’s always a risk of a red flag when everyone is trying to risk it all. I think I need to do a little rain dance tonight, shake it up a bit for the race tomorrow because in the dry you cannot pass around here".

The final moments of Q3 were interrupted by a red flag when Perez crashed into the barrier at Portier. Carlos Sainz Jr. hit into the stricken Red Bull seconds later, but the incident also impacted Verstappen's lap. The Dutchman was brought to a complete stop as the red flags were thrown to clear the blocked road. Verstappen added that improvements were possible thanks to a different approach to the final run, but the crash ended his hopes of improving on a fourth-place grid start. The Netherlands driver came to a stop at the scene of the crash and exclaimed in frustration on his radio, then told his team:

"This shouldn’t be allowed. Otherwise it’s just better to do your lap and then just bin it into the wall".

Red Bull Racing Team Prinicipal, Christian Horner, is disappointed to see how the qualifying ended as both drivers could have improved a little:

"It was a shame at the end there as both drivers had the ability to improve a little and unfortunately Checo made a small mistake and that had a concertina effect with Max as well, but third and fourth we can still race from there. We’ll get the car back and see what the damage is, but this year of course, like engines, you have three gearboxes you can use for the year without a penalty. Naturally Checo is frustrated as he has been on it all weekend and was hoping for me today, and it was also frustrating for Max as that’s the second consecutive year he’s missed out on a final flying lap. But the race is tomorrow and there could be some rain around, also safety cars, so it will all about positioning in the first corner and I am sure Ferrari will be synchronised, so let’s see what happens tomorrow".

George Russell finds that the biggest issue was the ride of the car, so P6 is the maximum they could get with the current Mercedes’ package:

"The ride of the car has been our biggest limitation all weekend and while P6 is not a result to be celebrating, I think we pretty much maximised it out there with the package we have. The team has worked incredibly hard to give us the most compliant set-up possible, but we saw in Barcelona that our strengths were speed on the straights and the high-speed corners - and there's none of either in Monaco! So looking at it objectively, there's no reason we should be any higher up today. From my point of view, looking to tomorrow I'm thinking: bring on the rain! Nobody knows how the tyres will be in the wet, so we need to keep it out of the wall, be there at the end and roll the dice on strategy if we can".

The red flags cost me my final lap, but I don't think it was going to be much different to how it turned out anyway, says Lewis Hamilton:

"In hindsight, I needed to get lap one on the tyres and I didn't, after starting the lap in the wrong engine mode. But Monaco is just like that, and it was an unfortunate session. The car feels pretty bad out there and we're having to take some big risks to get anywhere near the times of the cars in front. We improved the car from yesterday and got a little bit closer, but even with a perfect lap I think we'd still be six tenths off, which is a decent chunk. Now we need to see what the weather does tomorrow and try to make some progress up the field".

Toto Wolff says that the way Q3 ended is not something new in Monaco:

"That was a typically chaotic Monaco qualifying session, and at the end George got his lap done and Lewis missed out because of the red flags, which maybe cost him a position on the grid tomorrow. But I think George's result shows where the pace of the car is this weekend - Monaco has never been the easiest place for us, and that's been true again this year".

The Mercedes Team Principal adds:

"The race pace looked stronger than the single lap in practice, but it's hard to make it count here, as we know. But it looks like the weather will mix things up for tomorrow, so let's see how it turns out and whether we can make the most of the opportunities that might come our way".

On Sunday, May 29, 2022, is the day of the Monaco Grand Prix. Right before the start, lots of grey-flecked clouds cover the sky of the Principality, bothering Charles Leclerc who is about to start his home race from pole position. Team mate Carlos Sainz is in the front row too, while Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen are respectively second and third. Rain hits the circuit minutes before the start. The drivers initially opt to mount intermediate wet tires, but the consistency of the precipitation forces them to switch to full wets. The rain leads to an initial postponement of the start at 3:09 p.m., then at 3:16 p.m. In addition, race management schedules a reconnaissance lap behind the safety car. At the end of two formation laps the red flag is shown, which postpones the start. The Grand Prix starts about an hour later than planned due to a problem with the traffic light system on the finish line. Taking into account the double formation lap, the race is also shortened by one lap. The rain has, in the meantime, ceased but the track is still very wet, so much so that the cars mount extreme wet tires. At 4:05 p.m. the start, without a formation lap, is given behind the safety car, which remains on the track for two laps. While under the safety car Nicholas Latifi goes long at the hairpin, while Lance Stroll hits the barriers at Massenet. Both are forced into the pits. Over an hour after it was originally scheduled, the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix starts: Leclerc takes the command, followed by team mate Sainz, Perez and Verstappen. The track is improving lap by lap, allowing drivers to lower their lap limits, and advising them to put on intermediate wet tires. So does Pierre Gasly on lap four, who is the fastest in the race, but takes several laps to pass Zhou Guanyu, in the back positions, while Mick Schumacher do it on lap 5. Vettel is in tenth position, overtaken by Esteban Ocon, and pits on lap 7. The circuit is getting dry and this gives Leclerc a choice to make. On lap 10, he is 4.5 seconds ahead of Sainz, while Perez is called to pit but stays out on the wet compounds. On lap 12, Gasly is right on Zhou Guanyu’s tail for the thirteenth position and manage to pass the Alfa Romeo driver at the inside of Mirabeau, going to attack Daniel Ricciardo for the twelfth position. Two laps later, the AlphaTauri driver passes the McLaren into Swimming Pool. Says Carlos Sainz Jr., now five seconds off his team mate on lap 15:

"We are going to go straight to dry [tyres]".

The spaniard driver refuses the tire change, wanting to wait for the moment to switch, directly, to slicks. Lewis Hamilton, in eighth position, pits on lap 16 to switch to intermediates, and emerges ninth. Sergio Perez is the next to pit: on lap 17 he goes for the green-walled tyres and emerges fourth behind Lando Norris. Now, Max Verstappen is right behind Carlos Sainz. Lando Norris goes for intermediates and emerges from the pits in seventh position. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton tries to overtake Esteban Ocon for the eight position, but touches the inside-right of the Alpine and takes front wing damage. In the meantime, Esteban Ocon gets a five-second penalty for the collision with Lewis Hamilton. At the front, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen pit on lap 18 for intermediates, leaving Carlos Sainz in the lead ahead of Sergio Perez. The battle between Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon continues, while Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz pit for hard tyres leaving the Red Bulls in front. Carlos Sainz emerges third and Charles Leclerc fourth. As early as lap 21, the two Ferraris switch, along with the pits, to hard compound dry tires. The Monegasque driver gets angry as he is held up in the pits and loses further time with a tough out-lap, while a call to stay out on track comes too late for the home racer. This allows Sergio Pérez to take the lead, as Carlos Sainz finds himself in a slower car, which prevents him from maintaining the first position, when, on the next lap, Sergio Pérez also switches to dry tires. Soon after the Mexican also stops Max Verstappen.

So now Sergio Perez is in the lead, followed by Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The top four are very close, however, with Leclerc just over four seconds behind the new race leader. On lap 24, Carlos Sainz Jr. is right on Sergio Perez’s rear wing on the main straight: he is forced into the wet line, and then catches a snap of oversteer. On Lap 24, Mick Schumacher spins while he enters Swimming Pool, hitting the barriers hard, while the gearbox and rear of his car fly off. He is fortunately ok and walks away. Is called a Virtual Safety Car, then Safety Car. Now there is not a Haas on track: also Kevin Magnussen has retired on lap 19 due to a water pressure problem. The red flag is shown on lap 30, because barrier repairs take place. At the same time, the Stewards have noted Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen for crossing the pit exit line after their stops. During the pause, Mercedes swaps Lewis Hamilton’s front wing after his crash with Esteban Ocon. There are also some tyre changes: Red Bull, Mercedes, Alpine, Williams. Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu go for mediums while the rest, including Ferrari, chooses hard tyres. The race resumed at 5:15 p.m. under the safety car regime, but as there are still many laps to complete, forty-four, it is impossible for the drivers to close on the 77 laps planned. The race restarts on lap 33 and now there are only 30 minutes remaining until the chequered flag. Sergio Pérez maintains the lead of the Grand Prix at the restart, although he is forced into a wheel lock at the high Mirabeau. Carlos Sainz tries to get closer to the Mexican, but with no chance of overtaking. Behind him approaches Max Verstappen, pressed, in turn, by Charles Leclerc. Behind them are, detached, George Russell, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso who, very slow, forms a small platoon of cars behind him. On lap 51 Lando Norris returns to the pits, to mount medium tires. On the same lap Zhou Guanyu tries to pass Yuki Tsunoda, at the exit of the tunnel, but risks losing control of his Alfa Romeo. In the final laps Sergio Pérez suffers graining in the tires, which gives some hope of overtaking Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard comes close on several occasions to the Mexican, but without being able to impeach him. The lapping also gives the Spaniard no opportunity to pass. Perez manages to mantain the lead and wins by just 1.154s over Sainz. The Ferrari ends just 0.3 seconds ahead of third-place Verstappen. Says the fourth-place finisher Leclerc.

"No words, no words... The season is long but we cannot do that. We cannot do that".

Sergio Pérez wins his third career Grand Prix, ahead of Sainz Jr. and Verstappen. The Red Bull Racing driver becomes the Mexican with the most wins in Formula 1, surpassing Pedro Rodríguez. Pérez is the first Mexican to triumph in the Monaco Grand Prix, the first North American to win it since Gilles Villeneuve's victory in the 1981 edition. Sergio Perez emerged from his last pit stop in the lead and kept it for the rest of the race:

"It was really hard for me to think straight after the race, I was full of adrenaline and so much energy going through the race. Once I heard my national anthem on the podium here it hit me, it is a dream come true for any driver in the world to tick that box in Monaco and I can just be extremely happy. We were quick all weekend, we kept our heads down and knew today with the right strategy we could make things happen. This win was for my mum and all my family, she was very sick last week so I had very good motivation going into this race to get her a victory. It’s been an incredible day, I am super happy for the whole Team and I hope my country are proud too. You don’t win Monaco many times in your life so the first one is very special".

Max Verstappen thanks the team for the great job done and the decisions taken:

"First of all congratulations to Checo, he did an incredible job today. As a Team we did a really great job, we managed a good strategy. Of course finishing third for me is not ideal but I wasn’t able to improve my lap time yesterday so that’s just how it goes. In the heat of the battle and with the hectic start, we stayed calm as a Team, we made good decisions. The strategy paid off with Checo winning so that was the biggest positive of the day. I’m really proud of the Team effort this weekend and to get two cars onto the podium".

Christian Horner is very happy for the Red Bull Racing drivers’ performances:

"It has been an amazing day for us and an amazing day for Checo, he’s been on it all weekend so it’s a well deserved victory. The teamwork and for both of our drivers to pick off a Ferrari was fantastic. Checo is doing a great job this year, in Jeddah he had that amazing pole and the time delta between him and Max has been a lot closer this year. To win this race is a deserved victory. Max hasn’t quite had the car where he wanted this weekend, but he’s pleased with that result, he’s beaten Charles and kept his championship lead which was the goal. Through great teamwork from the drivers, on the pit wall, in the garage and back in Milton Keynes we optimised our performance this weekend, so we are very happy".

Charles Leclerc was the leader of the first part of the race, but then he lost out to Sainz after he did not pit for the intermediates and decided to pass from the wets to the slicks. He pitted, even if the teams told him to stay out, and ended fourth, behind Verstappen:

"I’m disappointed to have lost this win and it’s a tough one to take, especially at home. It will be important to understand exactly what happened to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. In the first pit stop, we went from extreme wets to Intermediates, and got undercut by Perez. Three laps later, I stopped again, behind Carlos, and lost two more positions. It’s just impossible to overtake in Monaco without taking huge risks, so I stayed put to bring home as many points as possible and I guess that fourth is the best we could do under these circumstances. Mistakes happen, unfortunately today we made too many. I love my team and I am sure that we will come back stronger".

After the pit stop, Carlos Sainz Jr. missed the opportunity to take the lead, so he ran just behind Perez and took the second position:

"It was a tough race but overall I cannot be too disappointed. We made the right call to go from wet tyres to slicks but unfortunately a lapped car in my out-lap cost me too much time and we missed the opportunity to take the lead. After my pit stop I rejoined right behind Perez and that was it. Overtaking here is extremely challenging and with some wet patches off the racing line it was even more difficult today. It is a tough one to digest, because the win was there for the taking, but I gave it my all out there and we’ll come back stronger as a team for the next double header. When you start with your two cars on the front row and you don’t win, it means something went wrong from our side. I think we made a few poor decisions and we paid the price".

Harsh words those of Mattia Binotto, who underlines the necessity of learning form the mistakes:

"I am sorry for Charles, because it’s his home race, so it was particularly important for him, as indeed it was for all of us. There were other elements that affected today’s result, such as the traffic that both our drivers encountered when they rejoined the track after their pit stops, a factor that probably cost Carlos the win. Mistakes can happen, but it’s important to learn from them and take it as an opportunity to improve. Over the next few days, we will analyse this race in detail, as part of our preparation for the upcoming back-to-back races in Azerbaijan and Canada".

Concluding the race, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto, lodged a protest against Red Bull, alleging that both cars went over the line at the pit exit, asking for a five-second penalty, in reference to the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, and a clarification of the rules.

"As Ferrari we are disappointed because we think there was clear breach of regulations on the two Red Bulls for going on the yellow line exiting the pits. I think it was not close. He was on the line and if you look at the sporting code, the wording says crossing". 

So he adds:

"Then we had a clarification at Turkey in 2020 to avoid any discussions and, if you look at the race driver notes, it says staying to the right: so staying on the line is breaching the race director notes. I think that each single team has the task to follow the race directors' notes. It is clear and we are still seeking clarification with the FIA".

But the stewards dismissed both protests after Ferrari conceded that the Red Bull cars tyres' did not go over the white line. The race director's notes had been wrongly copied and pasted from 2021, and the rule had been changed from 2021 from any part of the car to any tyre of the car may not cross the line; had the rules not changed, Verstappen would have broken the rule. The FIA, underwent further criticism, including by Formula One owners and Hamilton, for delaying the start. FIA Formula 1 race director Eduardo Freitas admitted this change to the ISC had not been reflected in the pre-race Event Notes issued to teams ahead of the Monaco race.

"The race director stated that… the notes were a cut and paste from the 2021 version of the Notes and hence had not been changed to reflect the 2022 Appendix L changes".

The stewards explained. Mattia Binotto called attention to the event notes in their protest. However, the stewards noted, it is the ISC which carries force.

"Article 2.1 of the 2022 Formula One Sporting Regulations provides that All officials undertake to observe all the provisions of the Code the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations. This places an obligation on the race director - and the stewards - to comply with those regulations. Accordingly, the notes issued by the race director cannot contradict the Code or the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations".

Having clarified the fact, there remains the chronicle of the race. Which saw George Russell managed to take off Norris the fifth position and, after that, he had a lonely race and ended in the top five:

"That was a tough afternoon out there, very physical with the bumpy ride of the car, and a long afternoon across a range of conditions. It was tricky in the wet, holding onto the wet tyres for as long as possible, then I had a nice dice with Lando after the stops - and some strong pace on the hard tyre. It was tough on the medium in the second part of the race, with a lot of graining towards the end, but P5 is still a decent result. We encountered some of the limitations of our car at this track, but we've learned a lot and can put that to good use in the coming weeks to take another step forward. Overall, it's a decent result and I'm confident that we've got stronger days ahead of us".

Lewis Hamilton was right behind Ocon in the early stages of the race and, when he tried to overtake him into Sainte Devote, damaged his front wing. Then, the Alpine driver pitted and Hamilton found himself behind Alonso for the rest of the race:

"That was one of those days in Monaco - stuck behind other cars for most of the race and, in the end, just cruising but not able to overtake. I was glad when the rain came because that usually creates opportunities, unfortunately it didn't play out that way and we couldn't get past Ocon when I was running on the intermediates. It's been a tough weekend and I've had some unlucky situations, like the red flag in qualifying, so I'm looking forward now to turning the page and heading to Baku. It's a different kind of track, even though there are some similarities to the slow corners here in Monaco, but hopefully we can move forward and show a better level of performance like we saw in Barcelona".

Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff, argues that the layout of circuit has to be modified, because the races in Monaco are chaotic:

"That was the usual chaotic race in Monaco - and once again, a lesson that we need to look at this circuit layout, so people can't drive round five seconds off the pace in a procession. This is a fantastic venue and spectacle - but it would be great if the racing could be at the same level. With the length of the race, and the delays and interruptions, it felt more like an NFL game than a Grand Prix - but I'm not sure that much else could have been done. We need to give the race directors credit for managing a difficult situation; the rain at the beginning was torrential, then there was an issue with the connectivity for the TV broadcast which meant we couldn't get going. When we finally did, it was a strong afternoon for George - and a really frustrating one for Lewis. There were the laps stuck with Esteban, who got penalised for the collision, then the slow pace from Alonso, without which Lewis could have been racing Lando and George. It was another reminder that track position is everything here - and that we are the third team on the road. We have learned some important lessons about the car this weekend, and that learning will be the basis of rebuilding our performance to fight again at the front of the field".

In the days following the Monaco Grand Prix, the controversy around Ferrari does not diminish. Numerous Italian journalists accuse Carlos Sainz of not favoring Charles Leclerc's strategy by refusing to not enter the pits (a factor, this, denied by radio communications), while others allude to improprieties on the part of the Williams drivers. After some reflection about what happened in Monaco, on Thursday, June 2, 2022, Scuderia Ferrari sporting and strategy director, Inaki Rueda, says:

"We told Carlos Sainz to stay out at the last second. In fact, we had just realized definitively that we could avoid the switch to intermediate tires by fitting dry tires right away after the first stint with full wets. Initially we wanted to cover Perez, but then we realized in time that it would be a plan that would not work. Without Latifi's blockage he would definitely have won the race".

About Charles Leclerc he says:

"If with Sainz we no longer had a chance to cover Perez, with Charles we thought we did. Leclerc had more than a ten-second lead at the beginning of lap 18, from the data we had we thought Charles would hold at least a one-second lead over Perez, but instead Perez was really really fast. So we lost the race to Charles. The time to make a double pit stop is to have a gap between the cars of six seconds, we had five and a half seconds when we considered this option and decided that even with half a second to wait the undercut on Perez might work with Leclerc. By the time the cars were near the pit entrance, however, the gap between Sainz and Leclerc had narrowed to three and a half seconds. We tried to tell Charles at the last moment to stay on track, but by then it was too late, so he also lost the position on Max Verstappen. We will use everything that happened to update our procedures and be more efficient in the future".

Nevertheless, doubts remain about what happened in Monaco on the part of the Maranello team. Not surprisingly, during practice Carlos Sainz Jr. was the victim of a reprimand and a fine of 25.000 euros for obstructing the Aston Martin of Canadian Lance Stroll on the track, due to a miscommunication by his engineers, as admitted by the FIA communiqué at the end of practice:

"The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 55, the driver of Car 18 and team representatives and examined video and radio evidence. Approaching Turns 17 and 18 the driver of Car 55 was given a series of grossly incorrect messages, by radio, about the gaps to the cars behind. It is unclear to the Stewards why such misleading information was given to the driver, who was under the impression that there was no car immediately behind him. Due to the poor rear visibility at that part of the circuit, the driver was relying entirely on the team’s messages. Notwithstanding the above, it was noted that the driver of Car 55 almost came to a stop on the circuit".

And it's adds:

"This is unacceptable and hence the penalty of a Reprimand is imposed. We note that similar behaviour by any driver during Qualification may involve much more severe penalties. It is also noted that a similar situation occurred in relation to the incident involving Car 5 later in the session, where once again incorrect information was passed by the team to the driver, and again the driver of Car 55 was driving slower that can be considered reasonable in view of the location and circumstances. Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits".

Not surprisingly, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, during a lengthy interview, Scuderia Ferrari's team principal Mattia Binotto specifies that the team he heads is not yet fully ready to handle a clash to win the Formula 1 World Championship:

"We set our objectives to be back competitive in 2022. So our objective is to be competitive, not to win the championship, and it would be completely wrong to turn that into: Let's try to win the championship because we are so competitive. Being competitive is one fact; becoming world champion is another level of task. [Saying] that is maybe to take off some pressure from the team, but also I think it would be wrong as management to change objectives from the ones we gave them. No doubt what we intend to do is to try to open a cycle - become world champion, and not only once; try to stay there. But I think it will take time. Our internal mindset is still we need to improve as a team to be capable of winning a championship. It doesn't mean we will not do it. Maybe we will do it as soon as possible, but we are conscious of the fact that it is more than only being competitive. The ambition is there. Each single person working for Ferrari has the ambition. I don't think I need to remind them. More important is to let them focus on our process of continuous improvement, so each race is an opportunity for lesson-learned review and to build to do something better. And it is important to stay focused on each single race. We are not looking at the classifications".

Binotto, at the end of the race, had made a complaint regarding the possibility that the two Red Bull drivers had crossed the pit exit line, going against the sporting regulations. However, Race Director Niels Wittich clarifies that the line can be stepped on, but not crossed completely. The FIA Commissioners therefore reject Ferrari's protest because the Race Director's notes are erroneously outdated and do not reflect the revised International Sporting Code for 2022 according to which any tire on a car leaving the pit lane must not cross the pit exit line. Speaking of old and obsolete procedures, on Saturday, June 4, 2022, FIA President Ben Sulayem states about the FIA and its management that:

"It’s going well, but the challenges will never end. In the first six months I would say it was a challenging task. External companies such as Deloitte and McKenzie are working on audits and will be giving us their feedback soon. As for the financial part, I inherited a weak AIF. I do not mean that someone has abused the budget, but due to negligent behavior we now have 23 million euros for our operations. I am confident that with the right team, the right approach, the right plan and a good federation, we will be drawn in less than two years. From the first data of the auditors it emerges that the FIA is old. Not in the personal, but in the thought. We cannot be old in a dynamic sport. Look at all this technology, you have to keep up and continuously update and reinvent yourself. In five years I see a healthier and more dynamic Formula 1. Now the challenges are different, we need to make some changes. There are some things that don’t satisfy me at the moment. Thankfully, F1 success is increasing. I think it also has to do with the pandemic, which has influenced people’s mentality. People want to live in the moment now. Sometimes we take things for granted, but who would have imagined that we would be closed for so long and that people would die from Covid? It was a nightmare. Part of the merit, moreover, certainly has the interest of United States. The FIA had already tried, but it didn’t go well. Now the palatability of F1 has increased again, Americans are different".

In addition, Ben Sulayem said he doesn't impose his beliefs on other people and wants the drivers to do the same:

"Niki Lauda and Alain Prost only cared about driving. Now, Vettel drives a rainbow bicycle, Lewis is passionate about human rights and Norris addresses mental health. Everybody has the right to think. To me, it is about deciding whether we should impose our beliefs in something over the sport all the time. I am from an Arabian culture. I am international and Muslim. I do not impose my beliefs on other people? No way! Never. If you look at my operation in the UAE: sixteen nationalities! Name me one federation that has that many nationalities. On top, there are over 34% women and seven religions. And even more Christians than Muslims. I am proud because it creates credibility and merit. But do I go and pose my beliefs? No. The rules are there, even now there are issues when it comes to, for example, jewellery, I didn't write that".

However, as is often the case, various journalists and the heavy use of social media transform the FIA president's thinking, cutting off parts of it and emptying it of its meaning. This prompts the FIA president, Ben Sulayem, to have to clarify, through a Tweet, his thoughts during the day on Thursday, June 9, 2022:

"As a driver, I have always believed in sport as a catalyst of progress in society. That is why promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion is a key priority of my mandate. In the same way, I value the commitment of all drivers and champions for a better future".

In conclusion, Max Verstappen has a nine-point lead over Leclerc, so everyone is anxiously waiting for the next stop of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship, which will take place on June 10-12 on another street circuit. Will the Azerbaijan Grand Prix confirm the Red Bull domain or it will favor the Ferrari? More importantly, how will Red Bull's future unfold after it comes to light that on Friday, May 27, 2022, Mexican driver Sergio Perez signed a contract renewal for two more years, precluding the arrival of Pierre Gasly but more importantly affecting internal morale at the autro-English team?

"For me, this has been an incredible week, winning the Monaco Grand Prix is a dream for any driver and then to follow that with announcing I will continue with the team until 2024 just makes me extremely happy. I am so proud to be a member of this team and I feel completely at home here now. We are working very well together and my relationship with Max, on and off the track, is definitely helping drive us forward even more. We have built tremendous momentum as a team and this season is showing that, I am excited to see where that can take us all in the future".

These are the words of the Mexican driver, while Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner adds:

"Time and again he has proved himself to not only be a magnificent team player but as his level of comfort has grown, he has become a real force to be reckoned with at the sharp end of the grid. This year he has taken another step and the gap to world champion Max has closed significantly, evidenced by his superb pole position in Jeddah earlier this year and by his wonderful win in Monaco just last weekend. For us, holding onto his pace, race craft and experience was a no-brainer".

A renewal that comes at a particular time, since at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix Sergio Perez had complained about being forced to favor his teammate's victory. But if now, on the one hand, the Mexican driver celebrates, to the point that several users in the social world dispute the manner (on which Perez will even be forced to clarify):

"I have seen the videos that have been circulating about me and I take responsibility for it. It was a bad party that I didn’t know how to control at the height of the person that I am, but it was just that, a very bad party. People close to me know my values and the type of person that I am. For those who ask me, we are more united than ever, me and my wife. And for those who just want to hurt us, I wish you the best. Thank you all for your love and I apologize to all the people who love me because those videos don’t represent me not at all. We will not talk about this topic anymore, which only makes us forget the great moment we are living as a family. Thank you"), on the other hand, Max Verstappen's father, through an editorial, expresses all his son's discontent with the outcome of the Monaco race.

"Red Bull achieved a good result, but at the same time exerted little influence to help Max to the front. That he finished third, he owes to Ferrari's mistake at that second stop of Charles Leclerc. The championship leader, Max, was not helped in that sense by the chosen strategy. It turned completely to Checo's [Perez] favour. That was disappointing to me, and I would have liked it to be different for the championship leader. I think ten points from Max have been thrown away here. Especially with the two retirements we've had, we need every points. Don't forget that Ferrari currently has a better car, especially in qualifying".

Although Jos Verstappen is leading Ferrari's Leclerc in the championship by nine points, Jos said Red Bull has still not got its car to a place which suits his son's driving style.

"Max's third place was very disappointing. We all saw that it was a difficult weekend for him. It starts with the car, which simply doesn't have the characteristics for his driving style yet. Max has far too little grip at the front axle. And especially in Monaco, with all those short corners, you need a car that turns very quickly. That was just hard".

For his part, however, Sergio Perez responds:

"We are working very well together and my relationship with Max, on and off the track, is definitely helping drive us forward even more. We have built tremendous momentum as a team and this season is showing that, I am excited to see where that can take us all in the future".

In short, it only remains to be seen how this new and unexpected challenge will develop. A rivalry that will not involve Aston Martin, as Red Bull Racing consultant Helmut Marko states:

"There was data downloaded, but I never said where that data went. That's another factor. Until we can prove something, we will not do anything against Aston Martin. At the moment we can't prove anything and so we're not making a case out of it, also because Aston Martin is not a direct competitor either. We do want clarification from the FIA. If you take Ferrari's argument [when they double protested against Red Bull after the Monaco GP], we are [also] talking about clarity on the rules. How far can you go? After all, we have a junior team AlphaTauri. If you interpret this case consistently, then AlphaTauri could also work more closely with us. It's all difficult to understand. If you look at the whole timeline, there are even more inconsistencies. But if you can't prove it in black and white, then you have to let it go. Since it's not a direct competitor of ours, we're not completely on top of it either. In short, at the moment there is no evidence that Aston Martin has actually copied us, except that the two cars are very clearly similar".

Ending yet another controversy that the Formula 1 world simply did not feel the need for.