The famous Circuit de Monaco is one of the most famous stages in the Formula 1 program, but also one of the most treacherous. A hairpin descent. walls close enough to kiss. A dark tunnel that catapults drivers into bright sunlight.
And on a good day.
Sunday wasn’t a good day: when it started to rain during the Monaco Grand Prix and the tires lost their grip, conditions deteriorated so quickly that even the most experienced teams might have been scared.
But Max Verstappen is not your average driver and while others struggled he just sped away to claim his fourth win of the season and 38th of his career. It was his second win at Monaco in three years and he extended his and Red Bull’s lead in the season points standings.
“It was incredibly slippery,” said Verstappen about coping with the conditions, the first rain of the current Formula 1 season. “When you’re that far ahead you don’t want to push too hard, but you don’t want to lose too much time either.”
“We clipped the walls a couple of times – it was super difficult out there – but that’s Monaco.”
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished where he started in second place and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon did the same, finishing a satisfying third place. But neither was a serious challenger to Verstappen all day in a race that lasted almost two hours, as the fast cars sometimes slowed and the drivers tried to keep their nerve.
The race in photos
Where the race turned
Finally, on lap 50, the rain that had been on everyone’s radar for the first half of the race set in, triggering a frenetic series of pit stops and tire changes for the leaders. The problem was that initially it didn’t rain on every section of the track, so tires that worked well on a dry surface suddenly became unmanageable where it was slippery.
This led to a series of hectic scenes and different decisions: Alonso, second, pitted twice in quick succession; The two Ferrari cars pitted one after the other and took turns getting new tires; The drivers lost sight and either slid off the track, into the barriers or into the path of other cars. Cautious drivers would tiptoe uncomfortably through the tightest corners before attempting to sprint away once they regained control, or would update their teams with the latest weather reports.
But when it was over, Verstappen was exactly where he was: at the top.
season recap
5. March: Bahrain Grand Prix. Winner: Max Verstappen
19th March: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Winner: Sergio Perez
2nd of April: Australian Grand Prix. Winner: Max Verstappen
April, 30th: Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Winner: Sergio Perez
May 7th: Miami Grand Prix. Winner: Max Verstappen
May 21: Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna. Cancelled.
28th of May: Monaco Grand Prix. Winner: Max Verstappen
next race
June 4: Spanish Grand Prix, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.