2021 Monaco Grand Prix

Last updated

2021 Monaco Grand Prix
Race 5 of 22 [a] in the 2021 Formula One World Championship
←  Previous race Next race  →
Monte Carlo Formula 1 track map.svg
Layout of the Circuit de Monte Carlo, Monaco
Race details [2]
Date23 May 2021
Official name Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021
Location Circuit de Monaco
La Condamine and Monte Carlo, Monaco
Course Street circuit
Course length 3.337 km (2.074 miles)
Distance 78 laps, 260.286 km (161.734 miles)
Weather Sunny
Pole position
Driver
 Ferrari
Time 1:10.346
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
Time 1:12.909 on lap 69 (lap record)
Podium
First
 Red Bull Racing-Honda
Second
 Ferrari
Third
 McLaren-Mercedes
Lap leaders
  • 2021 Monaco Grand Prix

The 2021 Monaco Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 23 May 2021 at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the Principality of Monaco. It was the fifth round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship, the 78th time that the Monaco Grand Prix was held, and the first time it had been held since 2019 after the 2020 round was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 78-lap race was won by Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) after polesitter Charles Leclerc of (Ferrari), who crashed in qualifying, failed to start the race with a driveshaft problem. The podium was rounded off by Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris (McLaren). Lewis Hamilton, who was leading the Drivers' Championship for Mercedes, finished seventh, allowing his title rival Verstappen to take the lead of the championship for the first time in his career.

Contents

Background

A photo of the Circuit de Monaco in 2016. Monaco Port and Track.jpg
A photo of the Circuit de Monaco in 2016.

This race marked the 750th race start for the Williams team, and to celebrate the occasion, Williams placed the names of 100 Williams supporters on the halo of their car, the FW43B. [4] McLaren also ran a special one-off Gulf Racing –inspired livery for the event, to celebrate their collaboration started in the 1960s. [5] [6]

Entrants

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. [7]

Tyre choices

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4 and C5 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium and soft respectively) for teams to use at the event. [8]

Qualifying

Charles Leclerc qualified on pole despite crashing in the final minutes of Q3, whilst Max Verstappen joined him on the front row having qualified second, Valtteri Bottas shared the second row with Carlos Sainz having qualified third and fourth respectively. Lando Norris had his best qualifying result of the season and qualified fifth. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton had his worst qualifying since the 2018 German Grand Prix, and qualified outside the top two for the first time in 2021, qualifying seventh. [9] Mick Schumacher was not able to participate in qualifying due to a heavy crash in the final practice session. [10]

Qualifying classification

Pos.No.DriverConstructorQualifying timesFinal
grid
Q1Q2Q3
116 Flag of Monaco.svg Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:11.1131:10.5971:10.3461
233 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:11.1241:10.6501:10.5762
377 Flag of Finland.svg Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:10.9381:10.6951:10.6013
455 Flag of Spain.svg Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1:11.3241:10.8061:10.6114
54 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:11.3211:11.0311:10.6205
610 Flag of France.svg Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 1:11.5601:11.1791:10.9006
744 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:11.6221:11.1161:11.0957
85 Flag of Germany.svg Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:12.0781:11.3091:11.4198
911 Flag of Mexico.svg Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:11.6441:11.0191:11.5739
1099 Flag of Italy.svg Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:11.6581:11.4091:11.77910
1131 Flag of France.svg Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1:11.7401:11.486N/A11
123 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 1:11.7471:11.598N/A12
1318 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:11.9791:11.600N/A13
147 Flag of Finland.svg Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:11.8991:11.642N/A14
1563 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg George Russell Williams-Mercedes 1:12.0161:11.830N/A15
1622 Flag of Japan.svg Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 1:12.096N/AN/A16
1714 Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 1:12.205N/AN/A17
186 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1:12.366N/AN/A18
199 Russian Automobile Federation flag.svg   Nikita Mazepin [c] Haas-Ferrari 1:12.958N/AN/A19
107% time: 1:15.903
—47 Flag of Germany.svg Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari No timeN/AN/A20 1
Source: [12] [13]
Notes

Race

Race report

Ferrari inspected Charles Leclerc's car overnight after his crash in qualifying. The primary concern was Leclerc's gearbox, but it was cleared, and it was expected that Leclerc would start on pole. On race day, Leclerc brought the car out from the pits on the reconnaissance lap out to the grid, and a failure in the left driveshaft was detected. There was not enough time to repair the problem before the race, and thus Leclerc did not start in the race. [15] Ferrari later discovered the issue was caused by a cracked left-rear driveshaft hub. [16]

Due to Leclerc's failure to start the race, pole position on the grid was left empty, leaving Max Verstappen as the de facto polesitter, though he lined up in the second grid position. At the start of the race Valtteri Bottas got away slightly better than Verstappen, but the latter was able to cover off the former to take the lead into the first corner. Bottas later retired at his scheduled pitstop on lap 30, when his team was unable to remove his right front wheel due to a stripped wheel nut, promoting Carlos Sainz to second place and Lando Norris to third. [17]

Verstappen pitted for fresh tyres on lap 34. Sergio Pérez led most of lap 35 before being called into the pits at the end of the same lap, and this meant that Verstappen officially led all laps through the pit stops. Pérez used pit strategy to improve to fourth, which is where he finished the race. The podium was formed by the same drivers in those positions at the halfway point of the race: Verstappen in the lead, Sainz in second, and Norris in third. Pérez, in fourth, closed in on Norris but was unable to pass him before the race ended. Sebastian Vettel and Antonio Giovinazzi scored their first points of the season, finishing fifth for Aston Martin and 10th for Alfa Romeo, respectively. This was also Alfa Romeo's first point of the season. [18] [19] Lewis Hamilton, in seventh, used a late race tyre change to challenge for the race's fastest lap, earning one extra championship point.

Three former Monaco Grand Prix winners, Kimi Räikkönen, Daniel Ricciardo, and Fernando Alonso, all finished one lap down on race winner Verstappen and out of the points in 11th, 12th and 13th places respectively. [18] [19] Verstappen's and Pérez's high points haul, along with Bottas' retirement and Hamilton's seventh-place finish, was sufficient to propel Red Bull into the lead in the Constructors' Championship, and Verstappen into the lead in the Drivers' Championship. This was the first time since the 2018 British Grand Prix that Mercedes had not led either championship. It was also the first time Verstappen was the points leader in his Formula One career. [20] The FIA said it was open to suggesting layout changes for the future to the improve the on track excitement at the venue, after the race provided just one on-track overtake. [21] [d]

Post-race

Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff admitted they had suffered a disastrous weekend. [23] McLaren admitted it had not expected to be competitive enough for a podium result. [24] In the aftermath of Leclerc's qualifying crash, FIA race director Michael Masi stated the FIA was looking into the possibility of introducing a rule where drivers who cause red flags in qualifying have their lap times deleted, to avoid the possibility of drivers crashing intentionally to prevent other drivers improving, though Masi said he was convinced Leclerc's qualifying crash was a genuine driver error. [25] Télé Monte Carlo's broadcast direction was criticized after cutting away from Vettel's duel with Pierre Gasly on lap 32 to a replay of Lance Stroll hitting a kerb on the exit of the Piscine Pool. The video became an internet meme. [26]

Race classification

Pos.No.DriverConstructorLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
133 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 781:38:56.820225
255 Flag of Spain.svg Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 78+8.968418
34 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 78+19.427515
411 Flag of Mexico.svg Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 78+20.490912
55 Flag of Germany.svg Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 78+52.591810
610 Flag of France.svg Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 78+53.89668
744 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 78+1:08.23177 1
818 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 77+1 lap134
931 Flag of France.svg Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 77+1 lap112
1099 Flag of Italy.svg Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 77+1 lap101
117 Flag of Finland.svg Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 77+1 lap14
123 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 77+1 lap12
1314 Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 77+1 lap17
1463 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg George Russell Williams-Mercedes 77+1 lap15
156 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 77+1 lap18
1622 Flag of Japan.svg Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 77+1 lap16
179 Russian Automobile Federation flag.svg   Nikita Mazepin [c] Haas-Ferrari 75+3 laps19
1847 Flag of Germany.svg Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 75+3 laps20
Ret77 Flag of Finland.svg Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 29Wheel nut3
DNS16 Flag of Monaco.svg Charles Leclerc Ferrari 0Driveshaft hub— 2
Fastest lap: Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1:12.909 (lap 69)
Source: [13] [27] [28]
Notes

Championship standings after the race

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ At the time of the event Formula One planned to hold twenty-three Grands Prix. [1]
  2. ↑ Charles Leclerc set the fastest qualifying time, but did not start the race. Pole position was left vacant on the grid. Max Verstappen, in the second slot, was the first driver on the grid. Leclerc is still considered to have held pole position. [3]
  3. 1 2 Nikita Mazepin is Russian, but he competed as a neutral competitor using the designation RAF (Russian Automobile Federation), as the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships. The ban was implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency in response to the state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes. [11]
  4. ↑ Sources disagree about whether first lap overtakes should be considered to the total, with some sources reporting zero overtakes, [22] and others one. [21]

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Luke (28 August 2021). "Formula 1 reveals updated 2021 calendar, drops to 22 races". Autosport . Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "2021 Monaco Grand Prix". Formula1.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. ↑ Smith, Luke (23 May 2021). "Leclerc fails to start Monaco GP with left driveshaft issue". Autosport . Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "Williams cars will carry names of fans at Monaco Grand Prix as team celebrate 750 races in F1". www.formula1.com.
  5. ↑ "Bold is Back | Monaco GP Livery Reveal | #GulfXMcLaren". 16 May 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  6. ↑ "McLaren Formula One team to run Gulf Livery in Monaco". Motor Authority. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "2021 Monaco Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  8. ↑ Jonathan Noble (19 February 2021). "Pirelli reveals tyre compound choices for F1 2021". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Edmondson, Laurence (22 May 2021). "What went wrong for Hamilton in qualifying?". ESPN.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "2021 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying report: Leclerc beats Verstappen to sensational Monaco pole as late crash prevents others improving". www.formula1.com.
  11. ↑ Luke Smith (5 February 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling extends to F1". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  14. ↑ "Offence – Car 47 – gearbox" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  15. ↑ Woodhouse, Jamie (23 May 2021). "Ferrari did not check driveshaft as it 'was not broken'". PlanetF1.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Cracked wheel hub to blame for Leclerc missing Monaco race". 24 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "What caused 'catastrophic failure' of Bottas's wheelnut?". 24 May 2021.
  18. 1 2 "2021 Monaco Grand Prix race report & highlights: Verstappen claims Monaco victory over Sainz and Norris, after polesitter Leclerc fails to take start". Formula1.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  19. 1 2 "RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Watch all the key moments from Verstappen's Monaco Grand Prix win". Formula1.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  20. ↑ "Max Verstappen wins Monaco Grand Prix to take world championship lead". Guardian. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  21. 1 2 Edmondson, Laurence (25 May 2021). "F1 will consider Monaco Grand Prix layout changes to improve racing". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  22. ↑ Ntsiabaka, Nicolas (25 May 2021). "Grand Prix de Monaco - Aucun dépassement, une première depuis 2017" [Monaco Grand Prix - No overtaking, a first since 2017]. Motorsinside.com (in French). Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  23. ↑ "Wolff brands Mercedes' Monaco GP 'a disaster day' after Bottas pit stop failure and Hamilton's P7 | Formula 1". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  24. ↑ Noble, Jonathan (25 May 2021). "McLaren never expected podium pace in Monaco". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  25. ↑ Nimmervoll, Christian (25 May 2021). "FIA to look at IndyCar rule that would have denied Leclerc pole". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  26. ↑ Smith, Luke (24 May 2021). "10 things we learned from F1's 2021 Monaco GP". Autosport . Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  27. 1 2 "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Race Result". Formula1.com. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  28. ↑ "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  29. 1 2 "Monaco 2021 - Championship • STATS F1".
Previous race:
2021 Spanish Grand Prix 		FIA Formula One World Championship
2021 season 		Next race:
2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Previous race:
2019 Monaco Grand Prix 		Monaco Grand Prix Next race:
2022 Monaco Grand Prix
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.