Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez has won the Monaco Grand Prix. The Mexican was ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and teammate Max Verstappen on the narrow street circuit in Monte Carlo. Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position, finished fourth, partly due to a communication error at a Ferrari pit stop. As a result, he saw Verstappen run seven points further in the World Cup standings.
The race on the iconic track started more than an hour later than planned due to heavy rainfall. The Monegask Leclerc got off to a good start in his home race, but came out on track after his first pit stop behind Pérez. The Mexican had been the first of the front runners in to replace his wet tires with a faster pair of intermediates as the track dried up.
A communication error in the Ferrari camp finally turned the race on its head. Sainz and Leclerc inadvertently dived into the pitlane in quick succession on lap 22 for faster hard tires, which meant that especially that last precious time lost compared to the Red Bulls. Leclerc, who has never won in Monaco, came on track behind Verstappen and Lando Norris in fifth and expressed his frustration about the on-board radio.
Crash Schumacher
On the thirtieth lap of the race, German Mick Schumacher lost control of his Haas car, after which it smashed into the guardrail at high speed. The car broke in two, but Schumacher escaped unscathed. However, the race had to be temporarily halted, so that the organization could sweep the track clean and repair the fence.
After the new delay of almost half an hour, the race was resumed at 5.15 pm. In the remaining 45 minutes, the Red Bulls of Pérez and Verstappen and the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc followed closely behind, but no more successful overtaking actions followed. Pérez crossed the finish line first, taking his third Grand Prix win of his career.
Max Verstappen strengthened his lead in the World Cup standings with third place. The Dutchman now has 125 points, nine more than Leclerc. Teammate Pérez came to 110 points thanks to his victory. In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull leads with 235 points, followed by Ferrari with 199 points.
GP Monaco
The Monaco Grand Prix is a classic on the Formula 1 calendar with 68 editions. The race has been criticized a lot in recent years for its lapse. It is difficult for the drivers to overtake because of the narrow streets, especially now that the cars have become a bit wider this season. This often results in a boring match for the public with few overtaking actions. Nevertheless, most Formula 1 drivers believe that the circuit also belongs on the calendar in the future, with or without some adjustments to give the cars more space.