Perez victorious in rollercoaster wet-dry Monaco Grand Prix while Leclerc settles for P4 from pole.
Podium Finishers
P1 PER
P2 SAI
P3 VER
It was the Red Bull of Sergio Perez who crossed the finish line first on Sunday – his first win of 2022 – by a mere 1.1 seconds ahead of the flaming hot Ferrari of a hungry Carlos Sainz.
After a rain delay, drivers headed on track with pole-sitter Leclerc leading the way, only for the race to be red-flagged one lap into the race.
Fans watched, anxiously hoping Monaco 2022 wouldn’t be the evil twin of Spa 2021 – thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
After a rolling restart on wet tyres (likely due to power outages), Leclerc and Sainz led the ‘Bulls for a fairly straightforward 14 laps until chaos ensued.
Perez bit the bullet on Lap 17 to pit for intermediates, Leclerc and Verstappen following while Sainz opted to stay out until Lap 21 for hards (a decision that would later prove to be the right call).
Unfortunately, the leading Ferrari of Leclerc followed Sainz into the pits for a double stack, only to be over-cut by the two Red Bulls mirroring the double stack a lap later. An understandably furious Leclerc emerged P4 when all was said and done.
As the track had dried out, the top four finished accordingly despite a speedy Sainz chasing the tails of Perez in the later stages of the race. It begs the question: does Monaco belong on the race calendar with the new cars despite its historic significance to the sport? There’s certainly arguments to be made for both sides, although the jury is still out for 2023.
Best of the Rest
George Russell continued his impressive 2022 form with a P5 finish after going straight from wet to slick tyres (no intermediates for Mr. Saturday Consistency)! The Brit is certainly proving any naysayers wrong after his semi-controversial move from Williams as he is the only driver to finish in the top five in all races so far this season. The George Effect, anyone? (Just kidding, that’s matching the aesthetic of your Instagram photos.)
The McLaren of Lando Norris finished an impressive P6 for the day despite his recent battle with tonsillitis following the brutally hot Spanish Grand Prix. Hey Google – please play, “Let’s Go Lando!”
The wide load Alpine of Fernando Alonso crossed the line seventh in Monaco despite the Silver Arrow of Lewis Hamilton close on his tail for the majority of the race. The Spaniard was the leader of the backend processional for the dry part of the race, only furthering arguments of the dismal reality of overtaking in Monaco.
While Esteban Ocon passed the checkered flag ninth, a five-second penalty from his early tussle with Lewis Hamilton saw him drop out of a points’ finish, much to the excitement of Valtteri Bottas (P9) and Sebastian Vettel (P10).
Looking Ahead
The grid returns to a fan favorite (hashtag liked by pierre gasly), Azerbaijan, in two weeks’ time. With a different race winner for each of the last five races, be sure to have your popcorn ready. It’s back to Baku!
