Lessons Learned From Monaco

Motorsport’s annual visit to the streets of Monaco has come to an end for all three of the main series – Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 – and the results are in. Across all three series, fans were delighted to see plenty of action and were treated to an extensive amount of headlines as new records were made, new race winners announced and all the drivers competed for their respective titles.

Now that the chequered flag has been waved and the champagne from the podium has dried, here are the most important lessons learnt from Monaco at the end of after five competitive sessions.

Formula 1

Race Winner – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

Kimi Antonelli took the chequered flag for the fifth consecutive time this season for his fifth career victory in a dominant performance. Collecting a career first Grand Slam in the process, Kimi Antonelli survived two race starts and retained his lead ahead of the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton who crossed the line in second behind him. 

Despite other drivers struggling with time penalties for speeding in the pit-lane or other infringements, Kimi Antonelli was able to keep his head down and put on a performance that saw him, at one stage of the race, 22 seconds ahead of anyone else. Looking ahead to Barcelona, there can be no doubt that Kimi Antonelli will be hoping to race away for another race win as his momentum continues to gather. 

Reflections:

1. George Russell has dropped to 3^rd in the championship standings and 68 points away from his teammate who stays in the lead where he has been since winning the Japanese Grand Prix.
2. Reliability issues are not yet over for teams, even for the front-runners, as former world champion Max Verstappen and reigning world champion Lando Norris failed to take the chequered flag.
3. 10 out of the 11 team on the grid have scored points now that Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso opened the team’s account after inheriting the final points scoring position from Sergio Pérez who was given a post-race penalty. 
4.  Although Ferrari didn’t seem to have an answer for the pace of the Mercedes this weekend despite their position as favourites for the win, it seems that the Scuderia are getting closer to the top step of the podium especially now that Lewis Hamilton seems to have found his form.
5. It was time and drive-through penalties galore for almost all of the 16 drivers who took the chequered flag this year in Monaco as repeated incidents of speeding in the pit-lane saw the final race classifications adjusted on more than one occasion. 

Formula 2

Sprint Race Winner – Noel Leon (Campos Racing)

After starting the race on reverse-grid pole position, Noel Leon was able to keep clear of the action and penalties behind to race to the chequered flag ahead of the rest of the grid. Joining him on the podium after the chequered flag had been waved was Roman Bilinski and the current championship leader, Gabriele Mini. 

Feature Race Winner – Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing)

A little bit more action made the Feature Race an exciting one to watch as a late Virtual Safety Car meant that the drivers and teams scrambled to adjust their strategies in time. While the other drivers, including those ahead, struggled to change their run plans, Tsolov managed not only to avoid penalties but also to keep his head down to take the chequered flag. Completing the podium with Tsolov on the top step was Alex Dunne in 2nd and Dino Beganovic in 3rd.

Reflections: 

1. Although Mini retains his lead in the championship standings with 63 points, an incredibly successful Feature race from Tsolov has seen him move to within one point of the leader on 62 points which no doubt puts him into the title fight. 
2. The stewards, like in Formula 1 and Formula 3, remained busy alongside the race directors as multiple issues throughout the weekend required the intervention of the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car.
3. Monaco remains, as it always has been, a true test of the skills and abilities for motorsports drivers of all levels and experiences; Formula 2 proved that it’s not just able being able to handle your own race but knowing how to stay out of trouble from the issues that might happen around you as well.

Formula 3

Sprint Race Winner – Gerrard Xie (DAMS)

Creating a new record, Gerrard Xie’s inheritance of the Sprint Race win meant that he became the first Chinese driver to win a Formula 3 race. Although Hiyu Yamakoshi crossed the line ahead of the rest of the field for his maiden Formula 3 win, a post-race disqualification for Yamakoshi meant that a maiden podium for Xie was converted into a maiden win. 

Feature Race Winner – Brando Badoer (Rodin Motorsport)

With a front-row start, Brando Badoer seemed to have half the job complete to achieve his maiden victory. When the five lights when out, a decisive move on Théophile Nael saw Badoer racing off into the distance before a Safety Car was called. The carnage of the Sprint Race was not repeated and no one could have been more glad of that than Badoer who took his place on the top step of the podium ahead of Nael and Freddie Slater. 

Reflections:

1. Safety concerns for drivers were raised again after a huge crash at the hairpin during the sprint race saw Brad Benavides walk away with extensive injuries including three broken vertebrae. 
2. Racing action, although rare around the streets of Monaco, continued over the Sprint Race and the Feature race as multiple drivers found themselves battling for track-position and the all-important title of winners in the Crown Jewel.
3. The stewards room remained busy over the weekend as the race winners and podium finishers moved around extensively even once the chequered flag had been waved. 
4. In the current championship standings, Bruno del Pino, after inheriting 2^nd place in the Sprint Race, added crucial points to his name for his championship bid. Out in front, Ugo Ugochukwu retains his lead with 43 points from del Pino who has 35 points. 

Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 will all return for another round of racing in Barcelona as the European summer of motorsports has officially begun!

Feature image: Formula 1

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