5 hours ago
16
Key events
28/78 Russell has a look, and Hadjar cuts him off. Russell complains, asking for the stewards. “He’s got no tyres,” he tells his teams.
27/78 Hadjar sliding all over the track; this has been a brave drive from the French-Algerian.
26/78 Russell and Hadjar get closer and closer, but this time, on a sharp bend, the Red Bull closes down the space. Antonelli has 33 seconds on his teammate and championship rival. He’s also 10 seconds clear of Hamilton.
25/78 Hadjar and Russell’s battle is a reminder of the difficulty of Monaco. There’s still not much traffic behind them. They are losing two seconds a lap by fighting out this battle.
24/78 Antonelli is pulling further clear, and is eight seconds clear. The race is in the palm of his hand.
23/78 Hadjar is game but he’s told there’s “no fix” from his team. “Head down” is the advice.
22/78 Russell is all over the back, and really needs to get ahead of Hadjar to have any chance in the race. These two is where the race is at the moment.
21/78 “Something is going to explode,” says Hadjar, who has dropped 15 seconds behind Leclerc in third.
20/78 “I can’t pull first gear,” howls Hadjar. He sounds panicked, to say the least. Russell is well on his tail but Monaco won’t let him pass.
19/78 Antonelli has opened it back up to 4.4 seconds. Hadjar is complaining about his car to his team; the Red Bulls have not had a happy weekend. Russell waits his turn.
18/78 Russell has been advised by his team to mind his tyres so that he can take advantage of Hadjar’s tyres. Bottas’s Cadillac is parked up, it was overheating. That’s the second retirement.
17/78 Hamilton has been complaining of tyre degradation, as has Hadjar, though Russell closing on the Red Bull has also noticed. Hamilton has closed the gap to 2.8 seconds.
16/78 Verstappen speaks: “The formation lap, it wasn’r going very well. The pre-start was terrible and at the start the engine just dropped dead. It sounded awful. It will be a good test to see if we have stepped forward.”
The latter comment refers to Barcelona, next up. Big week ahead for Team Red Bull.
15/78 The wait for the leaders’ pit strategy begins. How can Ferrari trap Mercedes?
14/78 Lapping is not so common at Monaco but such is Antonelli’s pace and the back-markers’ strategy, that it’s happening today.
13/78 That view of the tunnel, under the hotel, remains the most evocative sight of the race. Hamilton is throwing everything at it. Russell is looking at being 58 points behind Antonelli if the race stays this way.
12/78 Antonelli loses a second by having to make his way through that collection of pitted back-markers. Hamilton will have to do the same.
11/78 Hamilton is pulling ahead of Leclerc.
10/78 The field is stretched in a fashion that’s not the usual way at the Monaco GP. Perez serves his five-second penalty for the second race running.
9/78 From Perez in 14th down, they have all pitted in the hope of keeping their tyres alive for the rest of the race. Bortoleto has overtaken Bearman to be 20th.
8/78 So, it’s Antonelli, Hamilton, Leclerc, Hadjar, Russell, Piastri, Gasly, Norris, Lawson and Albon in the top 10.
7/78 Antonelli is hoping to get so far clear he won’t pit and come out behind Leclerc, and thus fall into the hands of the Ferrari team.
6/78 That gap at the top has climbed over four seconds now. It seems Russell has escaped censure but Perez, in 14th, is facing a similar VAR look from the stewards.
5/78 Antonelli has set a fastest lap, he is flying. Russell awaits judgment on what looks a false start. A look at that start, Verstappen starts like a sleepy commuter, and asks his team “what the ***?”.
4/78 Antonelli is blasting away, giving it the full Keke Rosberg. This is a real test of Hamilton’s new broom.
3/78 Dreamland for Antonelli, with Hamilton on his trail. Russell is being penalised for a false start. Verstappen was telling his team that the engine was broken. The lead for Antoneilli climbs towards four seconds.
Verstappen retires!
2/78 “What should I do?” Verstappen asks, and the reply is ro “bring it home, Max”. He goes into the pits, and that’s it: retired.
Lights out in Monaco, and horror start for Verstappen
1/78 Antonelli gets away, and Verstappen has stalled! And he’s behind even Bortoleto, Antonelli sets off, ahead of the two Ferraris, Hamilton and Leclerc. Gasly overtook Norris to split the McLarens.
For a cloudy day, it looks very sunny. Bortoleto, starting from the pits, takes his time to get to his starting position.
Weather report, with apologies to Wayne Shorter, is warm and cloudy, no rain forecast. Ideal conditions, around 21 degrees. Here goes the formation lap.
The Formula One version of the Monaco GP was first won by Juan Manuel Fangio on 21 May 1950.
Martin Brundle is on his pit walk, into the throng he goes. It’s ram-packed in there, and meets the actor Cynthia Erivo, who seems a bit camera share. The McLaren chief exec sends props to the McLaren family, before meeting the legendary John Watson, who seemes amped up. Karen Gillan is there, and she’s excited, having travelled to be with the Haas team. Brundle meets Bortoleto, who confirms he must start in the pit. And here’s Kim Kardashian, who is with Khloe, and they and their people blank the great man. Max Verstappen is more accommodating: “Everything is alright.” Brundle is behind the podium on which the drivers stand for the Monaco national anthem, and then makes his escape to the commentary box. Shame Kim refused to speak; there was no Ozzy Osbourne moment.
Liam Lawson’s car is up and running and he thanks the Racing Bulls garage: “well done, everyone, I will do my best.”
Gabriel Bortoleto in the Audi has been having problems, and stalled but he also looks good to go.
Some quotes from Max Verstappen, second on the grid in his Red Bull: “Try not to overthink it too much, that works best. We will try to do the best start we can. It is a long race, anything can happen. It is not always easy and I hope today, we can have a normal start.”
Lewis Hamilton has appeared fresh and full of his previous self.
The car has repeatedly demonstrated how good it is in the slower corners but has struggled with drag on straights and in using a smaller turbocharger than their rivals. It has proved costly on traditional circuits this season where, even when competitive at the off, the Ferrari has been unable to match the Mercedes’ formidable race pace, or that of the upgraded McLaren.
Ferrari’s pace through the twists – Hamilton was quickest in the slow speed corners at the last round in Canada – and that smaller turbo will be vital in Monaco. Energy management should not be an issue with ample recharging, while the smaller turbo will enable it to remain spooled up to be most effective in punching quicker out of the corners.
Celeb spots: Mats Hummels, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, though no Kim Kardashian, not yet at least.
Liam Lawson, who has been showing off his Monaco lifestyle to the Sky broadcast, has problems with his Racing Bulls car; there seems to be a power problem, and it seems he may be starting from the pit lane.
It’s a gala weekend for McLaren, a team with such rich history.
McLaren, as leader, driver and designer, motivated by inexorable will, battled on. In 1968 he took their first win at Spa, a mighty result for the still fledgling outfit, and more would surely have followed but for his death in 1970. While testing the team’s M8D sports car at Goodwood, McLaren was killed when he spun off the track and struck a concrete marshal post. He was 32. Yet he had already instilled such passion and motivation in his team there was no consideration of not continuing. “He was the greatest leader of men I have ever met in all my life,” Ganley said.
On they went, Emerson Fittipaldi, also in Monaco this weekend, took their first drivers’ championship in 1974 and more followed. James Hunt’s title in 1976 and then under Ron Dennis’s leadership from 1981, McLaren claimed seven constructors’ titles between 1984 and 1998, a level of success that was admired and envied.
The Mercedes team are in the box seat, leading the constructors’ championship, and it’s likely to be a battle between their drivers for the title. Qualifying didn’t go so well for Russell.
The British driver, having taken time to reset and regroup since Montreal, maintained that he was unaffected by the setback in Canada, which was beyond his control. “In the past I’ve never really sort of believed in: ‘This is going to determine my destiny.’ I’m pleased that I did the job that I knew I was capable of and delivered in every moment when it was required,” he said.
“Of course it was annoying, but I didn’t lose much sleep over it and I think I can continue doing that job for the 17 races to go.
“I don’t think I’ve got anything to lose, really. I feel I’m still going with that same mindset, that if I look at it from my competitor’s [Antonelli’s] position, you’re kind of in a position now that you’ve got such a buffer, it feels like you can only keep it or you can only lose it. I think it’s his to lose.”
Read Giles Richards’ qualifying report.
The drivers championship standings
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1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 131 points
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2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 88 points
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3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 75 points
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4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 72 points
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5. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 58 points
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6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 48 points
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7. Max Verstappen Red Bull) - 43 points
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8. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 20 points
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9. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 18 points
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10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 16 points
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11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 15 points
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12. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 14 points
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13. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 6 points
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14. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 5 points
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15. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 2 points
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16. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 1 point
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17. Alex Albon (Williams) - 1 point
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18. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 0 points
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19. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 0 points
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20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 0 points
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21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 0 points
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22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 0 points
The starting grid:
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1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
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2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
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3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
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4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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5. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
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6. George Russell (Mercedes)
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7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
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8. Lando Norris (McLaren)
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9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
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11. Alex Albon (Williams)
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12. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
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13. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
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14. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
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15. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
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16. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
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17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
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18. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
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19. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
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20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
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21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
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22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Preamble
Monaco, the creme de la creme of F1 events, a test different to the rest, and the one every driver wants on their palmares. The principality stages the most scenic event in the sport, and this time, there’s a loaded grid, with Kimi Antonelli on pole, Max Verstappen alongside him, Lewis Hamilton, a three-time winner in third, with Charles Leclerc, the local boy making for a Ferrari second row.
Lights out at 2pm UK time. Join me.
