Esteban Ocon
“Esty Besty’s is on the podium, baby!”, Esteban Ocon shouted happily into the microphone after he had parked his Alpine on the number three parking space: “I’m speechless, I’m floating on a cloud right now.” He had used the chance that would otherwise rarely be offered to him this season and picked up a trophy, the third of his Formula 1 career after Sakhir 2020 and Hungary 2021.
It was already clear on Saturday that this could be a successful weekend. It was a complete surprise that Ocon had raced across the track so quickly that he even held pole position for a while. Ultimately he finished fourth but benefited from Charles Leclerc’s punitive transfer and finished the race where he started. Ocon withstood the pressure and stayed calm even in the rain. The balance of the Alpine was right and having confidence in your car is particularly important on the tight Monaco circuit.
CEO Laurent Rossi recently publicly criticized the Formula 1 team for the performance so far this season. Then Ocon’s third place and Pierre Gasly’s seventh place was a reassuring answer. Alpine-Renault remains in mid-table fifth overall, but Ocon said: “That has to serve as a motivation to keep going as a team and improving the car throughout this season.”
Max Verstappen
His victory on Pentecost Sunday was his second in Monte Carlo, which brought prestige and points in the Formula 1 title fight. Above all, this made the two-time world champion Max Verstappen the most successful Formula 1 driver in the world with 39 Grand Prix successes for Red Bull British-Austrian racing team. The 25-year-old Dutchman has stood at the top of the podium 39 times with two red bulls on his racing overalls, surpassing the 38 successes of Sebastian Vettel, four-time Formula 1 champion. “If you have a good car for a while, you know you can break that record,” said Verstappen.
In qualifying he took pole position on his last attempt with a lead of 84 thousandths of a second and showed how strong his nerves are. On a route that the RB19 supposedly does not suit. In the race he then proved his driving skills even in difficult rainy conditions. He touched the wall a few times, once he almost landed in a crash barrier on the slippery asphalt – but he kept control. Almost half a minute after him, second-placed Alonso crossed the finish line. This strengthens the impression that this combination of man and machine will also win this World Cup after the titles in 2021 and 2022.
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso has been in the business for a very long time and is the driver with the most experience in the current field. The memory period is a little longer than that of the competitors, some of whom were not even born when Alonso did his first laps in Formula 1. This helps to classify situations. In all the seasons in the 2000s and 2010s that he remembers, he would have led the World Cup with performances like this year, the Spaniard said on Sunday after his second place: “But now there’s Red Bull and Max, the dominate every race”, Alonso switched to the present. “Even with great results, you have to get in line behind them.”
The rain had increased his chances of getting past Max Verstappen in Monaco. But Aston Martin misjudged the weather conditions. On the 54th lap, Alonso switched from worn hard to fresh medium tires because heavier rain was not expected and the driver had perceived the track as largely dry. But it didn’t stop with the showers, Alonso had to pit again to switch to the profiled intermediates. But whatever strategy they would have chosen: “Max was simply faster than us.” Alonso is hoping for weekends when Red Bull does have problems and made a declaration of war: “We certainly won’t give up!” His home race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is on Sunday. It was here in May 2013 that he clinched his last Formula 1 victory to date.
Monaco
The density of yachts in the harbor was even higher than usual, more people crowded through the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, among the prominent guests were footballer Neymar, Fifa President Gianni Infantino, pop singer Kylie Minogue – so traditionally a lot of glamor and Gloria at the Grand Prix on the Côte d’Azur. But is the race still relevant? The contract with the course was extended from 2022 to 2025, at that time there had been discussions about traditional locations. When the topic came up again, however, advocates were found again.
Fernando Alonso pleaded that Monaco should always be on the racing calendar. Monegasque Charles Leclerc explained that step by step you are approaching the limit here until you give everything in qualifying “and that’s such an incredible feeling. Just the excitement and the adrenaline you feel on this track is great.” Nowhere else does that exist. But he also had to acknowledge: “These are not the most exciting racing days when it comes to overtaking.” Without an overtaking manoeuvre, there is often a lack of tension, which is also what the discussion is about. After a turbulent Saturday, Monte-Carlo was saved from boredom by the rain on Sunday. Dark clouds brought sunshine: it was entertaining to see the drivers trying to maintain control on the slippery ground.
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari had hoped to achieve results at Monaco that could revitalize the spirit of the team. The proud racing team is trailing behind Red Bull, Aston Martin and Mercedes in fourth place in the constructors’ championship and is experiencing a season to forget. Sobering was also announced in the sixth race, Charles Leclerc was sixth, Carlos Sainz eighth. It looked good at first: Leclerc had qualified – narrowly beaten by Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen – as third fastest. But he was penalized by three positions and then did not progress. The rain didn’t help either.
The strange streak of bad luck at his home game has continued for the time being. He was unable to succeed here in either Formula 2 or Formula 1, and Leclerc was often even eliminated. And with the long-awaited world championship title, it will not be this year either. The 25-year-old consoled himself by looking ahead: “There are still a lot of races left this season and we have several updates that will hopefully bring us closer to the Red Bulls.”
Sergio Perez
For Sergio Pérez, this weekend in the Principality was one to forget. In qualifying, the Mexican crashed into the gang in the curve with the sonorous name Sainte-Dévote. It was clear then that his third win of the season in the sixth race would not come to pass: last year’s winner started from last. Those who start at the back in Monte Carlo usually don’t really make it to the front on this narrow, overtaking-unfriendly street circuit. In the end, the 33-year-old was only 16th, lapped by his team-mate, who outdid him at the last Grand Prix in Miami. Instead of cementing his position as a serious title contender, Pérez is now 39 points behind Championship leader Max Verstappen. “I hope that the mistakes are enough for the rest of the season,” said Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko on Sky.
Another thing that was probably even more annoying for the team: When the crashed RB19 was being removed, a crane lifted the car – which exposed the otherwise hidden underbody to prying eyes. And there’s plenty of that. “We didn’t have to look closely, there are enough photos,” said Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur. After all, the competition would be only too happy to know how the Red Bull engineers were able to develop a car that is so strong that the drivers can only really beat themselves. Like Perez in Monaco.
Mercedes
Mercedes had arrived with a refurbished Silver Arrow. The team had revised its outstanding concept with the extremely narrow sidepods, and there was also a new front wheel suspension and an overhauled underbody for the W14. The public could see how it was designed on Saturday. Lewis Hamilton made a mishap in the third practice session, his car, suspended from the crane, flew high through the air before Sergio Pérez’s. The photographers were already there quickly, even if curiosity was probably even greater later on with the Red Bull model. The Mercedes wobbled so alarmingly that motorsport boss Toto Wolff later said: “Whoever drove the crane probably used to work for Cirque du Soleil.”
It remains to be seen how artistically and successfully his drivers Hamilton and George Russell will drive the upgraded car. The narrow track at Monaco hardly allows any conclusions to be drawn about other routes. It was a good weekend nonetheless, with Hamilton fourth and Russell fifth – Russell could even hope to finish third at times, but a mistake after a pit stop cost him the podium and he slipped behind Ocon and Hamilton. The seven-time world champion summed it up: “I’m quite satisfied, we’ve made progress.”