2021 Monaco Grand Prix
2021 Monaco Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 5 of 23 in the 2021 Formula One World Championship
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![]() Layout of the Circuit de Monte Carlo, Monaco | |||||
Race details[1] | |||||
Date | 23 May 2021 | ||||
Official name | Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 | ||||
Location |
Circuit de Monaco La Condamine and Monte Carlo, Monaco | ||||
Course | Street circuit | ||||
Course length | 3.337 km (2.073 miles) | ||||
Distance | 78 laps, 260.286 km (161.734 miles) | ||||
Weather | Sunny | ||||
Pole position | |||||
Driver | Ferrari | ||||
Time | 1:10.346 | ||||
Fastest lap | |||||
Driver |
![]() | Mercedes | |||
Time | 1:12.909 on lap 69 (lap record) | ||||
Podium | |||||
First | Red Bull Racing-Honda | ||||
Second | Ferrari | ||||
Third | McLaren-Mercedes | ||||
Lap leaders |
The 2021 Monaco Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 23 May 2021 at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the Principality of Monaco. It was the fifth round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship, the 78th time that the Monaco Grand Prix was held, and the first time it had been held since 2019 after the 2020 round was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[3] Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4 and C5 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium and soft respectively) for teams to use at the event.[4]
This race marks the 750th race start for the Williams team, and to celebrate the occasion, Williams placed the names of 100 Williams supporters on the halo of their car, the FW43B.[5] McLaren also ran a special one-off Gulf Racing inspired livery for the event, to celebrate their collaboration started in the 1960s.[6][7]
Qualifying
Charles Leclerc qualified on pole despite crashing in the final minutes of Q3, whilst Max Verstappen joined him on the front row having qualified second, Valtteri Bottas shared the second row with Carlos Sainz having qualified third and fourth respectively. Lando Norris had his best qualifying result of the season and qualified fifth. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton had his worst qualifying since the 2018 German Grand Prix, and qualified outside the top two for the first time in 2021, qualifying seventh.[8] Mick Schumacher was not able to participate in qualifying due to a heavy crash in the final practice session.[9]
Qualifying classification
Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Final grid | ||
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Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
1 | 16 | ![]() |
Ferrari | 1:11.113 | 1:10.597 | 1:10.346 | 1 |
2 | 33 | ![]() |
Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:11.124 | 1:10.650 | 1:10.576 | 2 |
3 | 77 | ![]() |
Mercedes | 1:10.938 | 1:10.695 | 1:10.601 | 3 |
4 | 55 | ![]() |
Ferrari | 1:11.324 | 1:10.806 | 1:10.611 | 4 |
5 | 4 | ![]() |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:11.321 | 1:11.031 | 1:10.620 | 5 |
6 | 10 | ![]() |
AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:11.560 | 1:11.179 | 1:10.900 | 6 |
7 | 44 | ![]() |
Mercedes | 1:11.622 | 1:11.116 | 1:11.095 | 7 |
8 | 5 | ![]() |
Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:12.078 | 1:11.309 | 1:11.419 | 8 |
9 | 11 | ![]() |
Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:11.644 | 1:11.019 | 1:11.573 | 9 |
10 | 99 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:11.658 | 1:11.409 | 1:11.779 | 10 |
11 | 31 | ![]() |
Alpine-Renault | 1:11.740 | 1:11.486 | N/A | 11 |
12 | 3 | ![]() |
McLaren-Mercedes | 1:11.747 | 1:11.598 | N/A | 12 |
13 | 18 | ![]() |
Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1:11.979 | 1:11.600 | N/A | 13 |
14 | 7 | ![]() |
Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:11.899 | 1:11.642 | N/A | 14 |
15 | 63 | ![]() |
Williams-Mercedes | 1:12.016 | 1:11.830 | N/A | 15 |
16 | 22 | ![]() |
AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:12.096 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
17 | 14 | ![]() |
Alpine-Renault | 1:12.205 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
18 | 6 | ![]() |
Williams-Mercedes | 1:12.366 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
19 | 9 | ![]() |
Haas-Ferrari | 1:12.958 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
107% time: 1:15.903 | |||||||
— | 47 | ![]() |
Haas-Ferrari | No time | N/A | N/A | 201 |
Source:[11][12] |
- Notes
- ^1 – Mick Schumacher did not take part in qualifying due to an accident that occurred during the third practice session. He was permitted to race at the stewards' discretion.[12] He also received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. This made no difference as he started the race from the last position.[13]
Race
Race report
Ferrari inspected Charles Leclerc's car overnight after his crash in qualifying. The primary concern was Leclerc's gearbox, but it was cleared, and it was expected that Leclerc would start on pole. On race day, Leclerc brought the car out from the pits on the reconnaissance lap out to the grid, and a failure in the left driveshaft was detected. There was not enough time to repair the problem before the race, and thus Leclerc did not start in the race.[14] Ferrari later discovered the issue was caused by cracked left-rear drifeshaft hub.[15]
The first spot of the grid was left empty, due to Leclerc's retirement before the race began. This left Max Verstappen clear to lead after blocking Valtteri Bottas from taking the lead through turn 1 at the race start. Bottas would later retire at his scheduled pitstop on lap 30, when his team was unable to remove his right front wheel due to a stripped wheel nut,[16] promoting Carlos Sainz to second place and Lando Norris to third.
Verstappen pitted for fresh tyres on lap 34. Sergio Pérez led most of lap 35 before being called into the pits at the end of the same lap, and this meant that Verstappen officially led all laps through the pit stops. Pérez used pit strategy to improve to fourth, which is where he finished the race. The podium was formed by the same drivers in those positions at the halfway point of the race: Verstappen in the lead, Sainz in second, and Norris in third. Perez, in fourth, closed in on Norris but was unable to pass him before the race ended. Sebastian Vettel and Antonio Giovinazzi scored their first points of the season, finishing fifth for Aston Martin and 10th for Alfa Romeo, respectively. This was also Alfa Romeo's first point of the season.[17][18] Lewis Hamilton, in seventh, used a late race tyre change to challenge for the race's fastest lap, earning one championship point.
Three former Monaco Grand Prix winners, Kimi Räikkönen, Daniel Ricciardo, and Fernando Alonso, all finished one lap down on race winner Verstappen and out of the points in 11th, 12th and 13th places respectively.[17][18] Verstappen's and Pérez's high points haul, along with Bottas's retirement and Hamilton's seventh-place finish, was sufficient to propel Red Bull into the lead in the Constructors' Championship, and Verstappen into the lead in the Drivers' Championship. This was the first time since the 2018 British Grand Prix that Mercedes had not led either championship. It was also the first time Verstappen was the points leader in his Formula One career.[19] Télé Monte Carlo's broadcast direction was criticised after cutting away from Vettel's overcut on Gasly to a replay of Lance Stroll hitting a kerb.[20]
The race in total featured just one on-track overtake when Mick Schumacher overtook his Haas teammate Nikita Mazepin at the Fairmont Hairpin on the opening lap.[21]
Race classification
- Notes
- ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.
- ^2 – Charles Leclerc did not start the race. His place on the grid was left vacant.[22]
Post-race
Toto Wolff admitted Mercedes had had a disastrous weekend and stated that it would protest any team including rivals Red Bull at the next race in Azerbaijan if the team perceived anyone to be running any illegal flexible wings.[24] McLaren admitted it hadn't expected to be competitive enough for a podium result.[25] In the the aftermath of Leclerc's qualifying crash, FIA race director Michael Masi confirmed on the Monday after the race the FIA was looking into the possibility of introducing a rule similar to the Indycar series where drivers who cause red flags in qualifying have their lap times deleted, so that drivers who were out at the time of session stoppage are not unfairly penalised and to stop theories circulating in future about drivers deliberately causing incidents to maintain grid position.[26]
Championship standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
Notes
- ^ Charles Leclerc set the fastest qualifying time, but did not start the race. Pole position was left vacant on the grid. Max Verstappen, in the second slot, was the first driver on the grid. Leclerc is still considered to have held pole position.[2]
- ^ a b Nikita Mazepin is Russian, but he competed as a neutral competitor using the designation RAF (Russian Automobile Federation), as the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships. The ban was implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency in response to the state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes.[10]
References
- ^ "2021 Monaco Grand Prix". Formula1.com. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ Smith, Luke (23 May 2021). "Leclerc fails to start Monaco GP with left driveshaft issue". Autosport. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- ^ "2021 Monaco Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Jonathan Noble (19 February 2021). "Pirelli reveals tyre compound choices for F1 2021". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Williams cars will carry names of fans at Monaco Grand Prix as team celebrate 750 races in F1". www.formula1.com.
- ^ "Bold is Back | Monaco GP Livery Reveal | #GulfXMcLaren" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "McLaren Formula One team to run Gulf Livery in Monaco". Motor Authority. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ Edmondson, Laurence (22 May 2021). "What went wrong for Hamilton in qualifying?". ESPN.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ "2021 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying report: Leclerc beats Verstappen to sensational Monaco pole as late crash prevents others improving". www.formula1.com.
- ^ Luke Smith (5 February 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling extends to F1". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Offence – Car 47 – gearbox" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ Woodhouse, Jamie (23 May 2021). "Ferrari did not check driveshaft as it 'was not broken'". PlanetF1.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ "Cracked wheel hub to blame for Leclerc missing Monaco race". 24 May 2021.
- ^ "What caused 'catastrophic failure' of Bottas's wheelnut?". 24 May 2021.
- ^ a b "2021 Monaco Grand Prix race report & highlights: Verstappen claims Monaco victory over Sainz and Norris, after polesitter Leclerc fails to take start". Formula1.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ a b "RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Watch all the key moments from Verstappen's Monaco Grand Prix win". Formula1.com. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ "Max Verstappen wins Monaco Grand Prix to take world championship lead". Guardian. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ Smith, Luke (24 May 2021). "10 things we learned from F1's 2021 Monaco GP". Autosport. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ^ https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/31508519/f1-consider-monaco-grand-prix-layout-changes-improve-racing
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Race Result". Formula1.com. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
{{cite web}}
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timestamp mismatch; 8 May 2021 suggested (help) - ^ "Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2021 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 9 May 2021 suggested (help) - ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VgcnMNxwn0&t=168s
- ^ https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mclaren-never-expected-podium-pace-in-monaco/6515434/
- ^ https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-to-look-at-indycar-rule-that-would-have-denied-leclerc-pole/6515091/