Max Verstappen wins Monaco Grand Prix to take world championship lead
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Max Verstappen won the Monaco Grand Prix for Red Bull with a dominant run at the front of the field. Carlos Sainz was second for Ferrari in Monte Carlo and McLaren’s Lando Norris a superb third.
World champion Lewis Hamilton could manage only seventh place for Mercedes, after he qualified in seventh, giving Verstappen the lead in the world championship, the first time the Dutchman has ever been on top of the table. Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez was in fourth and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in fifth.
The race was largely a procession, as is so often the case at Monaco, the biggest drama of the meeting playing out before the race was under way. For pole sitter Charles Leclerc at his home race there was heartbreak before he took to the grid. After he crashed in qualifying there was concern Leclerc’s gearbox would have to be replaced. Ferrari had checked it and pronounced it ok on the morning of the race but on the way to the grid Leclerc reported he had a problem. The team worked worked on the car and identified an issue with the driveshaft they could not rectify. Leclerc could not join the grid, leaving his hopes shattered.
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For Verstappen and Red Bull this is a result from which they will take
great heart. Christian Horner, the team principal, had noted the importance of staying in touch with Hamilton and Mercedes and that the best way to do that was to win. Doing so here has ensured Verstappen has put real pressure on the world champion, vital in his title fight.
The team now have two wins from five races, with Verstappen claiming his 12th career victory and his first in Monte Carlo. The title fight is finely poised with Verstappen now leading Hamilton by four points, reversing the world champion’s lead of 14 points.
Although they have been strong over the high downforce test of Monte Carlo in recent years, that their car was on top here having already proved itself on the high speed tracks as well, shows they have an excellent overall package to challenge across the season. Red Bull also now have the lead in the constructors’ championship.
Leclerc’s failure meant Verstappen had the front row to himself but Valtteri Bottas had a clear run up the inside line to turn one. The Finn started well but Verstappen gave him no chance, cutting him off to hold the led through Sainte Dévote. Hamilton also held his sixth place behind the AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly.
The two leaders were evenly matched for pace over the opening laps, Bottas sat within just over a second of Verstappen and they opened a gap to the field, while Hamilton bided his time behind Gasly without a reasonable chance to overtake.
With the gaps across the top six stable this was very much the usual train at Monaco as the field spread out. By lap 20, however, Verstappen had put in a strong sequence of laps and opened up a three-second lead to Bottas. He had the course by the scuff of the neck and was exhibiting superb control.
Meanwhile Hamilton was 15 seconds back. He had been carefully managing his tyre wear but Mercedes took their chance on pitting him early on lap 29, taking the hard tyre. He was going for the undercut and had to go hard to try to make up a place but Gasly covered him off with his stop and came out in front. As they vied with one another as the lap began both were passed by Vettel who made a brilliant, opportunistic move up the hill. Hamilton delivered a series of messages questioning the team’s decision to take him into the pits early, clearly convinced he could have gone longer on his rubber
Bottas, meanwhile, went into the pits a lap later but Mercedes had a huge problem and could not remove the right front wheel, and the Finn was forced to retire because the wheel nut machined itself into the axle and could not be removed.
Verstappen went into the pits on lap 34 to take the hard tyre and emerged comfortably in the lead from Sainz, with Hamilton now in seventh. Mercedes had taken their chances over the stops and had made no advances and Hamilton’s hopes were slipping away, while Verstappen looked serene at the front.
With 46 laps down, the Dutchman had a three-second lead he was managing
with ease and once more the leaders proceeded line astern. Hamilton harried Gasly but these cars simply cannot race in close proximity to one another, especially where they are downforce dependent as is the case at Monaco. The world champion refused to give up and closed but could do nothing, indeed the order of the top seven remained as it had after the stops.
Hamilton duly went into the pits late to take fresh soft tyres to go for the fastest lap, which he took for the extra point. But the laurels began to Verstappen who had executed to perfection to take a deserved win. Gasly was in sixth, with Lance Stroll in eighth for Aston Martin. Esteban Ocon was in ninth for Alpine with Antonio Giovinazzi in tenth for Alfa Romeo.