In the weeks leading up to the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most anticipated races in the F1 calendar, discussions swirled around the future of racing in the Principality.
The race has been ongoing since the championship began and is known for its glitz, glamor, celebrities, and extravagance on display with the opulent boats docked in the harbor and the swanky boats. The party lasted all night.
Considering the eyeballs and F1 exposure raced around the ring of the wealthy, the Monaco GP gets preferential treatment in terms of revenue distribution.
Unlike other races that pay exorbitant race fees to promoters to host a race, Monaco’s fees are modest in comparison. More importantly, Monaco has the right to monetize race-side advertising, unlike other races where race-side revenue is for F1 promoters to sell and make money.
The future of Monaco
However, it is understood that the promoter wants to cut concessions before signing a new contract with Monaco, especially considering there are many parts of the world that want to host an F1 race.
The Monaco GP is the slowest race in the F1 calendar with its track winding through the narrow, zigzag and narrow streets of Monte Carlo. Races are usually the least entertaining as it’s virtually impossible to get through and the guy at pole is usually unlikely to win the race. The only challenge with driving around Monaco was threading the pointer fast enough without crashing into walls and barriers.
No trouble getting started: Monaco driver Charles Leclerc led teammate Carlos Sainz of Spain and driver Sergio Perez of Red Bull of Mexico at the start of the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. – AP
So when Charles Leclerc, son of the earth, put his Ferrari on the pole on Saturday, many predicted that he would become the first Monagesque to win the Monaco Grand Prix.
Leclerc also happened to be on pole last year but crashed in qualifying on his last lap, which makes it impossible for anyone to beat his time that year. However, on race day, his gearbox failed en route to the grid due to a problem during qualifying and he did not start the race in 2021.
The fastest time
This year, the Ferrari driver again set the fastest time in the final part of qualifying, temporarily taking pole after the first run. In the second run, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez crashed forcing an early end to the elimination session, with Carlos Sainz finishing second and championship leader Max Verstappen starting in fourth.
All Leclerc hoped for was a simple race without any variables. However, just minutes before the race, heaven opened up, throwing a sugar globe into his plans. Despite light rain, the FIA, the sports governing body in charge of running the event, did not cover itself in glory.
The race director took a cautious approach in delaying the start of the race and, after a few laps of scouting behind the Safety Car, the race was hit with a red flag as heavy showers hit racetrack. The ideal way is to start the race on wet tires and then find out if the rain picks up.
In the end, the race started more than an hour after the scheduled start and the top four took the lead on fully wet tires without changing positions.
Bad call
Leclerc has slowly opened up an advantage over teammate Sainz, with Perez and Verstappen’s Red Bull cars behind.
As the track starts to dry, some drivers outside the spots start to pit the intermediate tyres. Red Bull reacted first by conceding Perez while Sainz on the Ferrari team told his team he would continue to remain fully active until the track was dry enough for the tires to be in good weather conditions. normal, dry weather and thus avoid having to make too many additional stops while driving on the intersection before finally coming to a stop. for blisters.
It was here that Ferrari lost track of the plot as they panicked as they witnessed the fast timing of Perez and the race leader pitting Leclerc at crossroads. But by that time, they had left the race leader alone long enough with the wet tires that he lost his place to Perez.
A few laps later, the track was dry enough because the tires were slippery and Ferrari prevented Sainz from stopping at the only stop of the race and Leclerc was on the same lap as the man who then lost more time and place to his teammate.
Worse still, both drivers got stuck behind slower cars slamming on their laps after going uphill and couldn’t set quick times instantly on the new rubber. Red Bull was once again sharp and blocked both of his drivers in the ensuing laps, helping Perez keep the lead while Verstappen managed to jump to third ahead of Leclerc.
It was a perfect storm for Leclerc, who went from first to fourth through no fault of his own as his team floundered in strategy and his bad luck in the race on the field. His home continues.
Horror: German Haas driver Mick Schumacher crashes during the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. – AP
Then a brief red flag after Mick Schumacher’s collision allowed all teams to swap tires and that’s where Red Bull made things harder than necessary.
Perez and Verstappen switched to a faster but less durable medium tire, while Ferrari still used a durable hard tyre.
Perez looked like he had control for the rest of the afternoon, finishing at the two-hour mark from the start of the race, but towards the end of the race his tires started to deteriorate.
It gave Sainz a small chance to try to move with the Spaniard trying to move a few innings towards the end, speeding up the race. Even so, the nature of the track meant that all Perez needed to do was put his car in the right place and no one could get through the narrow area of the loop.
The Mexicans did just that and sealed a tempting victory. He has won himself a new two-year contract at Red Bull and is just 15 points behind Verstappen in the standings.
Leclerc has lived happily with his team and the only silver lining perhaps is the fact that he completed the Monaco race for the first time in his F1 career. However, there will be no consolation for the Ferrari driver, who had a chance to regain the top spot in the drivers’ championship but ended up losing to Verstappen.
The unwarranted error from Ferrari and then Perez’s tire troubles towards the end of the race meant there would be enough excitement throughout the race.
While it’s hard to guess whether that will be enough to help Monaco secure a new deal to resume the F1 fixture, the odds are at least higher than if it were a normal race weekend. which Leclerc won from pole position.
Perhaps Monagesque’s misfortunes could only save his hometown race for the next few years.
