Monaco: The Hits and Misses from the Editorial Team

The top 3

Hamilton and the Extra Soul

If the Brit often serves us this refrain, there’s no doubt that this time it’s truly honest: this 77th victory will mark Lewis Hamilton’s career. Why? First, because of its context: yes, the five-time world champion was affected by the death of Niki Lauda, the man who called him in the summer of 2012 to encourage him to join Mercedes. Without him, maybe Hamilton would have made a bad career choice like Fernando Alonso!

Rather sensitive, the weekend’s winner was highly motivated to honor the memory of the Austrian. And let’s not forget the weekend’s scenario: Hamilton only truly took the lead on Saturday during the second run of Q3, with a supersonic qualifying lap, the onboard is worth a look! On Sunday, the Mercedes leader completed 66 laps on medium tires. A calculation that exceeded Pirelli’s predictions. Yes, the 2019 cars are wide and limit overtaking, but Hamilton didn’t make a single mistake with his tires, proof of his complete mastery at the wheel of his W10.

After 2008 and 2016, #44 clinched his third victory in the Principality and secured the team, especially James Vowles, the strategy chief of Mercedes. It certainly deserved a champagne shower for the main man! In 2019, it’s hard to see what could stop Hamilton, except for a major mechanical breakdown. Valtteri Bottas is doing his part, but the championship leader is a step ahead! For the suspense, let’s hope for a return to the forefront for the Finn in Canada.

Sunday = a 17th win from start to finish for @LewisHamilton 👏

Only Ayrton Senna has won more races after leading every lap 👀#F1 #MonacoGP 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/Cjpsy2XfwH

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2019

Verstappen was the Mansell of 1992

To create a great battle, take two great drivers. If Hamilton is certainly one, Verstappen is too! The Red Bull driver continues to carry his team (even though Gasly is improving) and above all, he makes no mistakes, like Hamilton. Forgotten is the crash in FP3 last year! If the five-second penalty for unsafe release is justified, let’s applaud the Dutchman’s end to the race, which clearly shows that Monaco also offers suspenseful editions. His attempt to overtake at the Tunnel exit on the 76th lap was courageous but not reckless.

The game was worth the candle: if he had found the flaw in Hamilton, Verstappen would have clearly escaped in the lead and made up for his five-second penalty. This Monaco Grand Prix shows us, in any case, that the 21-year-old is gaining confidence. While Hamilton’s dominance may still last, Verstappen has a prime position for the future, provided he stays in a competitive car. In this Hamilton-Verstappen battle, there was something reminiscent of Senna vs. Mansell 1992! If Vettel hadn’t attempted anything behind Ricciardo last year, the duel we saw on Sunday will remain in our minds.

A quadruple win for the Honda engine

This is a first for the Japanese manufacturer! Since its return in 2015, Honda had never placed so many cars in the top 10: that’s now achieved, with four cars and a flattering 100%. You might say it’s expected, as this is the first season with four cars for the Japanese engine manufacturer. But this performance is still noteworthy, especially as Verstappen came close to giving Honda its first victory since 2006 with Jenson Button at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

If the two Red Bulls performed well in Monaco, it is also important to highlight the performance of the two Toro Rossos, being competitive all weekend, ultimately finishing P7 (Kvyat) and P8 (Albon), marking the best result in the young Thai driver’s career. The Principality circuit is not an engine circuit; however, it does highlight the efficiency of the power unit on winding tracks, which is a sign of quality for the rest of the season. Now it remains to be seen if the Honda engine will be as effective at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, a full-power circuit!

Special mention: the paddock’s tribute to Niki Lauda

Formula 1 experienced a unique weekend with the loss of one of its heroes. But the tribute paid was worthy of Niki Lauda’s journey and personality. Notably, the halo and red star on the Mercedes W10, the famous red cap worn by the majority of the paddock, and especially the helmet designs of Vettel and Hamilton, one choosing the 80s lineage, the other the 70s. Symbolically, the race ended with a Hamilton-Vettel one-two! The image of the two drivers congratulating each other as they exited their cars will remain one of the memorable moments of the season. This Grand Prix was also a reminder that 5 years ago, the late Jules Bianchi had a legendary race in his Marussia, securing 9th position. 5 years already…

A one-two for Niki Lauda ❤️#MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/NxpzkBXzN2

— Formula 1 (@F1) 27 mai 2019

Translate:

The flop 3

Ferrari’s Strategy: The Blunder That Doesn’t Go Down Well

One more setback in a nightmare season. Barely cheered by Leclerc’s best time in FP3, the Italian team messed everything up in Q1 by entering the wrong data into their software to calculate the track evolution! The result: overconfidence five minutes from the end, and the race engineer keeping the driver in the garage, even when the latter asked if he should go back out. For a top team, it’s a major blunder, and Binotto’s explanations didn’t change a thing.

Such confidence is still surprising for a team with a car that’s capricious at the front end and difficult to drive in Monaco. Vettel somewhat saved the day on Sunday with second place, but for Leclerc, the damage was done: Ferrari completely ruined their home weekend, which may leave lasting effects on the relationship between the two parties, as some Italian media already claim. A victory will be needed quickly to extinguish the beginnings of a fire!

Sunday didn’t quite work out to plan for @Charles_Leclerc 😞

But before his early exit, he got his home fans out of their seats 👏

What a move 👀#F1 #MonacoGP 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/Ud8jRBnAnV

— Formula 1 (@F1) 27 mai 2019

Alfa Romeo continues the dive

The other team with Italian roots is also in trouble. Their decline in the rankings continues. Worse, George Russell’s Williams outpaced both Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi. While the team didn’t expect an easy weekend in Monaco, it was anything but easy. Räikkönen was never able to overtake and couldn’t even get past Lance Stroll’s Racing Point in front of him through strategy!

Giovinazzi got himself tangled with Kubica’s Williams and while trying to overtake, he caused a collision with the Pole and a blockage at Rascasse. Race result: the Italian is the last classified in this Grand Prix. A weekend to forget for Frédéric Vasseur’s team. They will need to perform in Montreal, on a circuit favorable for engine performance. Luckily, the 5th place in the constructors’ standings is still only 4 points away, but in the meantime, McLaren is taking off!

Stroll still a tone below Pérez!

And it’s 10! The Canadian was knocked out for the 10th time in a row in Q1! Annoying, especially in Monaco: from 18th place, Lance Stroll couldn’t really hope for much. That’s exactly what happened… His 5-second penalty for his collision with Räikkönen at the Loews hairpin didn’t help, but Pérez, finishing thirteenth, climbed a bit higher during the race.

The problem is mainly here: facing his teammate, Stroll barely exists. But naturally, there’s no doubt that Lance still has some credit with Lawrence, his father and team owner! In the first six races of the season, Stroll only outperformed Pérez in Australia. Since then, it’s been a black hole!