Rain affected the sixth race of the season! VC Monaco brought some drama and a surprise name on the podium

The sixth race of this year’s F1 season, the Monaco Grand Prix, was affected by rain in the last 25 laps after a fairly quiet race for most of the race! Fans witnessed quite a drama. Max Verstappen scored another victory, while Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon also took podium finishes.

The start of the sixth round of this year’s Formula One season did not bring any great drama, just like the start of the morning’s F2 main race. Max Verstappen started the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position and held on to his lead after all five lights went out.

Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, held on to his second place, even though his goal was to attack the number one position after the start. So what was the starting order for the Monaco Grand Prix?

After the start, the starting order didn’t change much. However, Nico Hülkenberg, who made contact with Logan Sargeant during the first lap, received a five-second penalty.

He was stopped very early by his mechanics, Sergio Pérez, who put on the hardest specification tyres. But after starting from last position as a result of a collision in qualifying, it was hard to think of anything. After the first ten laps, the order of the top ten in points looked as follows – Verstappen, Alonso, Ocon, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, Gasly, Russell, Cunoda, Norris.

However, there was a dramatic attempt by Carlos Sainz to overtake Esteban Ocon on lap 11. But the Spanish Ferrari driver broke off his front wing element at turn 10.

There was a series of several overtakes on lap 18, with Sargeant driving the Williams at a really slow pace. Kevin Magnussen passed him after a nice manoeuvre in the Mirabeu section, while Lance Stroll and Mexican Pérez also got past the Williams driver at La Rascasse.

At the stroke of lap 32, the drivers started to go to their mechanics. Lewis Hamilton, Ocon, Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly gradually switched to the hardest set of tyres.

Then on lap 35, Pérez crashed into Magnussen in the chicane behind the tunnel and damaged his front wing, understandably forcing him to pit again.

Verstappen, Alonso, Gasly, Russell, Ocon, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, Cunoda, Norris – this is how the Monaco Grand Prix standings looked after 46 laps.

The rain provided the drama

At the start of the 53rd lap, a cloud moved onto the Monaco circuit and held for a long time over the mountains some twenty-four kilometres from the track. And it significantly affected the last twenty-five laps of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas and Stroll went to their mechanics for intermediate tyres almost immediately. On lap 55, Alonso took the very risky step of changing to a medium set of tyres despite the drifting rain.

And with more and more raindrops falling on the track and Monaco becoming increasingly wet, this proved to be a very poor choice. So the entire starting field pitted just for intermediate tyres during the following laps. So did Alonso, who despite two pit-stops in a short space of time remained second.

Very later, Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Sainz pitted. They dropped down the order. Verstappen, Alonso, Ocon, Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Gasly, Sainz, Cunoda, Piastri – that’s how the top ten points standings looked on lap 57.

Two laps later, Magnussen and Pérez even changed to extreme wet tyres. Before that, however, the former had felt a few barriers and walls, as he was the last driver to stay on dry tyres in these wet conditions.

However, a number of drivers had problems with the wet track, with fans right there in Monaco and on the TV screens seeing several drivers making contact with barriers or walls, or going off track.

However, the order of the top ten in points didn’t change much by the end of the race. However, Japanese Cunoda (AlphaTauri) dropped out of it, as he had brake problems. McLaren drivers Norris and Piastri were ninth and tenth.

Final results

So how did the sixth round of this year’s F1 season end? Verstappen was the winner after a convincing drive, Alonso scored another podium, and a great result in the form of third place was recorded by Ocon in Alpine colours.

This can be quantified as a surprise given the course of this season, but despite Saturday’s qualifying, Ocon drove to a result whose foundations he had already laid in qualifying.

Hamilton finished fourth, Russell fifth, Leclerc sixth, Gasly seventh, Sainz eighth, Norris ninth and Australian Piastri rounded out the top ten.

Source: F1 TV