With the opening of the Monaco Grand Prix, subjected to an absolute flood of rain, Formula 1 had to cope with the weather, but the torrent eventually left Ferrari brutally exposed. Sergio Perez’s victory for Red Bull was a bodily blow for the Scuderia, whose failure to call tactical decisions in tense moments cost them their victory.
It was a potentially decisive moment in a fierce battle and Ferrari were deprived, so much so that their title contender Charles Leclerc was left screaming with disappointment.
Perez won, with an excellent drive from Carlos Sainz of Ferrari in second place, and the teammate of the Spaniard Charles Leclerc, who started from pole, managed only fourth behind his rival for the title Max Verstappen.
Mercedes struggled, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell making little progress from their starting positions, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively, and Hamilton criticizing the FIA for being an hour late before racing.
Leclerc, who is in trouble with Verstappen this season, was more than aware of how expensive these moments in the title fight could be.
“We can’t do this, we can’t do this,” a lazy Leclerc told his radio team at his GP home. He was in place: the failure to lock out from the front row and the advantage in pace is unforgivable against a Red Bull team that is so competitive.
Leclerc had a 46-point lead after the third round in Australia. Verstappen fought three consecutive victories – including when his opponent withdrew due to a mechanical problem while leading in the last round in Spain – and now enjoys a nine-point lead.
The Monegasque driver, a fair and calm young man, was unusually critical of his team, knowing that they should take every opportunity this season. “Disappointed is not the word,” he said. “Some mistakes can happen, but there were too many mistakes today. We cannot do this, especially at the moment we are in now, when we are extremely strong. We have to take advantage of these opportunities, and it’s not even the first to the second, but the first to the fourth, because after the first mistake we made another one. “
These were two mistakes, as he identified, small, but with margins in front of the field, so small that they made a difference. After a delay of more than an hour until the start of the race due to heavy rain, Leclerc held all the cards. He led from the pole and controlled.
However, as the track dried up, Red Bull acted quickly and boldly. Perez took the intermediate places, but Ferrari made Leclerc only two laps later, two too late. Pérez made some very quick laps on his new tire and made the trimming work. When Leclerc appeared, he was behind the Mexican.
Charles Leclerc in his car during the chaotic pit stop. Photo: Christian Bruna / AP
Then from indecision to chaos. Sainz stayed outside, Ferrari taking the chance to keep his seat long enough to go on full slides. They then attracted him, but at the same time called Leclerc to play, and belatedly told him to stay outside – but too late. Leclerc was twice behind his teammate, wasting even more time. He appeared in fourth place behind Verstappen and left, shouting his disappointment on the radio.
Leclerc has not competed for the title with Ferrari, but he will know that their challenge against Mercedes in 2017 and 2018 was eliminated with a combination of mistakes of the driver and the team. His assessment in Monaco was humiliating.
“I think the first one was a very clear decision and very wrong, and from that moment on, the mess started. “I don’t know if it’s panic, I don’t know,” he said.
Leclerc will not take comfort in ending his curse that he has never finished a race here in five previous attempts, but it increasingly seems that Monaco is also becoming something like a monkey on the back of Scuderia.
The last team to fail to turn a lockout on the front line into a victory in Monaco was Ferrari in 2016. Indeed, their record here this century is shocking, with only one victory after that of Michael Schumacher in 2001.
They protested Verstappen’s exit from the pit lane in front of Leclerc, believing that he had crossed the pit lane exit line to do so. This was not investigated during the race, but both Verstappen and Perez were called to the stewards afterwards for the alleged violation. However, the team’s director, Mattia Binoto, faced a poor performance.
“We made mistakes and I take the blame for that and the responsibility,” he said. “We will improve. But overall, it was a tough race. “
For Perez, it was the return he needed, unhappy that he had been ordered to move to Verstappen in the final round in Spain and crashed in qualifying on Saturday. The Mexican was in tears on the podium with his first victory in Monaco.
After Red Bull made his coup, he did with aplomb after an additional delay when Schumacher made a big shunt in the swimming pool.
When the race restarted, the front four closed as they rode the cars in the final laps and were nose to tail in some tense, close race to the death.
Quick guide
How do I sign up for the latest sports news?
show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on the iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android phones by searching for “The Guardian”.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you have the latest version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (gear icon), then Notifications.
- Include sports announcements.
Thank you for your feedback.
Under great pressure, Perez held his nerves with confident precision to seal a victory he would appreciate.
Ferrari, however, wondered how they had let this one get out of them and Leclerc, on a short walk home, to consider what it might be. “I love my team and I’m sure I’ll come back stronger, but it hurts a lot,” he said.
Lando Norris was sixth for McLaren, Fernando Alonso seventh for Alpine. Valteri Botas was ninth for Alfa Romeo and Sebastian Vettel was 10th for Aston Martin.
Add Comment