A much-delayed Monaco Grand Prix turned into a two-hour limit ended with Red Bull and Ferrari, not the first time in 2022, in a league of their own.
But this time it was the ‘second ropes’ who had their day in the sun – well, the rain initially – to finish ahead of the duo that leads the World Championship.
As a result, what seemed like a two-way title fight could now be extended to three drivers, although you suspect Red Bull will want to handle it at some point …
Sergio Pérez: After seven days before harshly denying a possible victory by orders of the team in Barcelona, Pérez did not have much time to wait for his turn to arrive deservedly.
A drop in Portier at the end of the standings could have diminished confidence, but there was no sign of that, as he remained calm to stay ahead with increasingly worn tires at the end, after benefiting. of Red Bull treating racing strategy better than Ferrari.
Is the Mexican now a title contender? Being just 15 points from first place, you have to say yes, but would you really want the team to pass the crown from their canopy driver to their teammate? Not if they can help you, sorry. 9.5.
Carlos Sainz: Second in Monaco last year, it was the same again for the Spaniard who this time was much closer to Red Bull in front of him.
Great credit should be given to Sainz for recognizing that going straight from extreme wet tires to flat tires was the right move, and his patience in avoiding interleaving was rewarded with a result that restores him as a strength after a complicated spell.
He even claimed afterwards that he would have won if he hadn’t gotten behind Nicholas Latifi, and he must have thought that his chances of breaking up are finally close. 8.5.
Max Verstappen: It’s not a vintage Verstappen weekend, as Perez was overtaken for much of it, but he still came out with a bigger lead at the World Championships.
The first time he has finished a race this season but does not win it, this sequence had to end at some point, but he will head to Azerbaijan as a favorite still to victory. 8.
Charles Leclerc: He said he doesn’t believe in luck or curses or anything like that, but while it was the first time Leclerc had scored points in his home career, this was the one he escaped.
Everything went well until he stopped for intermediate tires and then a confusion over whether to go for slicks, which he did, ended his hopes of success.
This one, however, was on the team, and after a sublime performance throughout the weekend there would be no reason for the Monegasque to feel discouraged by his prospects from here, despite having lost a bit. more ground in front of Verstappen. 9.
George Russell: This impressive top-five series remains intact, as Russell made it seven in a row, and now has 34 points ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton at the World Championships.
He couldn’t keep up with the four leaders and in the end he was left to Norris, who could afford to make a late stop with soft tires and challenge him, but it was yet another commendable effort. 7.5.
Complicated race with moments of tension but more points in the stock market and a very encouraging pace in the second stage. Monaco, it has been a pleasure, as always. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/iE7ChwiYTH
– George Russell (@ GeorgeRussell63) May 29, 2022
Lando Norris: Still recovering from a tonsillitis, Norris never seemed to repeat last year’s Monaco podium, but the P6 once again meant he was the best player outside of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
There was also the fastest turning point for the Briton at the end of another rock-solid weekend when he produced a steady pace and was well ahead of his teammate. 8
Fernando Alonso: A feature of the second half of the race was the defensive driving of Alonso, who spent a few seconds slower than he was able to protect the P7 without anything better on the cards.
This approach, which looked like a football team preparing for a 0-0 draw, worked. Perhaps he had been inspired by Real Madrid, the Champions League winner, whose shirt he had worn when he entered the paddock on race day. 7.
Lewis Hamilton: It could and should have been better for Hamilton, who had a chance of a higher end if Esteban Ocon hadn’t closed the door on him unfairly, as the commissioners decided on lap 18.
After the restart, the Mercedes man was left between the two Alpines and, understandably, found no way to overcome the stubborn Alonso. 6.5.
Valtteri Bottas: After being included for a strong weekend, Bottas and Alfa Romeo didn’t really give up and it was a more indescribable race for the Finn than others lately.
However, he still finished ninth from a 12th place finish, describing it as a “good team effort in difficult conditions”. It’s hard to argue with that. 7.5.
Sebastian Vettel: It was clearly a day for experience and the sheer amount of that from Vettel helped him finish the points in Monte Carlo for the second year in a row.
Beaten early by Esteban Ocon, he made an early stop for the intermediates and kept him clean to bring his team only the seventh point of the season. 7.
Pierre Gasly: Much of the initial action focused on Gasly, who made a bold change to the intermediate tires and bore fruit when he overtook Zhou Guanyu and Daniel Ricciardo.
That decision increased the Frenchman’s chances of points, but he lost. Still, a dynamic AlphaTauri man unit after a very frustrating qualifying session. 8.
Esteban Ocon: That initial pass from Vettel finally came to nothing, as the collision with Hamilton cost Ocon a five-second penalty that left him out of the points.
The Alpine driver thought it was an unfair decision after the race, but he was quite forceful in closing the door and gave all the reasons to the commissioners to make the call they made. 5.5
Daniel Ricciardo: Monaco has been the scene of some of the best performances of Ricciardo’s career, but like last year, that was a long way from them.
Always on his back after a fall in FP2, the Australian was once again overshadowed by his McLaren teammate Norris and, even by his own admission, the signs seem every increasingly nefarious. 5.
Lance Stroll: The Canadian could not even complete a lap behind the safety car without a brush with the wall on a wet track and then always fought.
Stroll suffered a puncture in that incident and all chances of points were gone. 5.
Nicholas Latifi: Like his compatriot, Latifi also entered the barrier on a training lap, saying Williams had not turned left on the fork.
As on so many occasions this year, there was no real indication of any stimulus likely to make significant progress soon. 5.
We continue to fight together as a team 💙 #WeAreWilliams #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/PU7R34WBRK
– Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) May 29, 2022
Zhou Guanyu: A brilliant “save” when he made a move to Yuki Tsunoda entering the Nouvelle Chicane was the highlight for the Chinese rider, and it’s worth scoring on his own.
Otherwise, a baptism of fire in this race for the Alfa Romeo man. 6.
Yuki Tsunoda: Still ahead of teammate Gasly in the standings, this was a return to the most erratic Tsunoda ever seen during much of his debut campaign.
He started 11th, but found himself leading the getaway to Sainte Devote twice in the final stages and finished last of those still running. 4.
It didn’t end there
Alex Albon: None of the heroes from Melbourne or Miami this time from Albon who, rather like Tsunoda, found himself straight on turn 1 to lower the order on lap 11.
He later incurred a penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage before finally retiring with about 15 minutes to go before the car hit rock bottom. 4.
Kevin Magnussen: A miserable afternoon for Haas disintegrated on lap 28 as the two riders found themselves out of the race.
First, we saw Magnussen make a gesture of exasperation when it emerged that he had withdrawn, without any fanfare, due to a failure in the water pressure.
Until then he had been driving a fairly discreet grand prix, except for a determined defense from Gasly, who went with intermediate tires until wet. 5.
Mick Schumacher: It wasn’t the first time we’ve seen a Haas broken in half, as seeing Schumacher’s two-piece car at the pool complex brought us painful memories of Romain Grosjean in Bahrain in 2020.
Fortunately, this time there was no fire and the German quickly reported that he was fine for the team radio after an accident that seemed to be completely his fault.
But it was another race to forget for Schumacher, as he had previously reported suspicion of damage to the front wing after a brush with the barrier, and will now be under even greater pressure after a full season. of incidents, while Haas can’t be happy with a budget either. perspective of the lid. 3.5