10 things we learned from the Monaco GP when Verstappen hit the F1 title

1. Verstappen shows that actions speak louder than words

Max Verstappen landed the first big punch in the Monaco title race in 2021 by enjoying an 18-point punch against main competitor Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton entered the weekend 14 points ahead of Verstappen, but a sad weekend for Hamilton and a first win in Monaco for Verstappen ensured that it was the Red Bull driver who left the principality with the championship advantage for the first time Career.

Verstappen and Red Bull were in top form to benefit from a rare off-weekend for Mercedes. The Dutchman said after the race that his win was a “good lesson” to use on the track to speak to Hamilton’s pre-race comments.

After five laps, the title race is going well …

2. Cracks appear in the Mercedes armor

When the wheels fall off at Mercedes, they do so in a spectacular way.

In this case, Mercedes ‘chances to win were thwarted by a wheel they couldn’t get out of Valtteri Bottas’ car. Bottas’ hopes of fighting Verstappen for the lead were dashed on lap 30 during a bizarre and disastrous pit stop that forced him to retreat.

Things didn’t go much better on the other side of the garage, and Hamilton had no confidence or grip in his car as he struggled for Mercedes on one of his worst weekends.

The seven-time world champion was already frustrated after the seventh qualifying, and his mood only deteriorated in the race when Mercedes’ strategy turned out to be the wrong choice and he stayed where he started on P7.

An angry Hamilton later said Mercedes had failed to meet the usual standards in what could turn out to be a very costly weekend in the championship.

As with Sakhir 2020, Germany 2019 and Spain 2016, the Monaco Grand Prix 2021 showed that the well-oiled Mercedes company is not 100 percent bulletproof.

On the subject of matching items

3. Hamilton’s frustration boiled over

It was a miserable weekend for Hamilton, who, like Mercedes, did not work at its normal exceptional level.

It’s seldom seen that Hamilton is critical of his team – especially given his usual mantra, “We win and lose together” – but in Monaco his dissatisfaction with how things were going was evident.

After his poor qualifying, which was decided by Mercedes against exploring the setup approach Hamilton wanted, his hopes of getting a decent result depended on strategy.

On the subject of matching items

Hamilton was rightly angry about losing three potential spots that he could have won if things had gone well, and several angry conversations were held on team radio during the race.

Hamilton’s criticism continued after the race, leading F1 motorsport director Ross Brawn to the conclusion that “he’s a bit out of practice with these things”.

Mercedes and Hamilton will analyze how and why their weekend untangled and will be determined to get back on their feet in Baku.

4. Ferrari missed the one-time victory

Ferrari’s resurgence was one of the biggest stories of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Granted, it was largely down to the unique layout of the circuit, which matched the characteristics of the Ferrari 2021 car, but it was still fantastic to see the team back at the sharp end of the grid.

Ferrari’s noticeable practice pace led to qualifying and allowed Charles Leclerc to complete a breathtaking lap to take a shock pole position just for a fall on his final lap that ruined his chances of victory.

An investigation found that a driveshaft hub failure, directly related to its qualifying shunt, forced Ferrari to withdraw Leclerc from its home race before it started on Sunday.

After the race, Leclerc admitted he feared he had missed Ferrari’s only chance to fight for victory this season.

Leclerc’s fall was a double blow to Ferrari as it also prevented teammate Carlos Sainz from joining him on the front row.

Sainz went on to claim his first podium for Ferrari and his racing pace showed that if Leclerc could have started the race from pole position, he could have claimed the Maranello team’s first win in F1 since 2019.

5. Norris continues to deliver

Lando Norris’ outstanding start to the season continued in Monaco as he posted his second podium of the season – and the third of his F1 career – with third place.

McLaren expected to fight his way through the streets of Monte Carlo but an impressive lap from Norris in qualifying put him in fifth on the grid. He inherited fourth place because Leclerc didn’t start and was promoted to the podium thanks to Bottas’ DNF.

But Norris had the pace to take his final third place after parrying Perez ‘Red Bull in the closing stages to secure a spot on the podium.

It was the fourth time this season that Norris finished in the top four and promoted him to third place in the championship.

6. A step in the right direction for Perez

Sergio Perez has struggled to match his team-mate Verstappen’s level since joining Red Bull, but arguably his best race to date at the Monaco GP.

A lack of pace in one lap in qualifying let him down again on Saturday, but a brilliant Red Bull strategy combined with a strong drive allowed Perez to finish P4.

With the overlap strategy proving powerful, Perez maximized a brief period in clean air to great effect by jumping ahead of Vettel, Gasly and Hamilton when he later pitted as his rivals.

While a late attack on a first Red Bull podium wasn’t enough to beat McLaren’s Norris, a strong fourth place was just a reward for a great recovery effort on Sunday.

If Perez can bring his Saturdays together, he’ll be spot on for the podiums.

7. The much needed boost for Vettel, Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel proved his doubters were wrong with an outstanding performance on the streets of Monte Carlo when he hit the bull’s eye with style for Aston Martin.

The four-time world champion’s recent slump seemed to continue through 2021 as he struggled to keep up with the latest at Aston Martin and got off to a rather difficult start to the green life.

But Vettel turned a corner in Monaco, and the revived German used a cunning strategy by his team to overtake his rivals and improve from his P8 grid position to fifth.

The Monaco GP weekend was Vettel’s best performance of the season so far and he hopes it will boost a run in improved form.

8. The lapped Ricciardo reaches a new low

Things got worse and worse for Daniel Ricciardo at the Monaco GP.

The Australian, who is considered a Monte Carlo specialist, could not switch to his teammate Norris in the third quarter and knew that after finishing 12th in qualifying he would have to contest a tough race.

Ricciardo, who was behind Kimi Raikkonen’s Alfa Romeo, got stuck when he got home, where he started while his teammate took an unexpected podium.

He rubbed more salt in Ricciardo’s wounds and was lapped by Norris on a weekend he’d forgotten for McLaren’s newcomer, whose struggles show little sign of an end.

“The whole weekend was a disaster,” Ricciardo then summed up. “One of those weekends.

“I didn’t expect it here in Monaco. But we’ll try to understand and come back. ”

9. Giovinazzi’s luck improves

After a series of unfortunate races, Antonio Giovinazzi scored the first points of his and Alfa Romeo’s season in Monaco.

The Italian was one of the stars in qualifying when he recorded Alfa’s first appearance in the third quarter of the year with a lap good enough for tenth on the grid.

Giovinazzi went on to convert this into his top 10 points of the season on Sunday, finishing just 0.4 seconds behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in P10.

The 27-year-old was only rewarded for his efforts in Monaco after a hot stroke of luck behind him.

In Imola, an unscheduled pit stop due to a braking problem destroyed all hopes for a top 10 result, while in Barcelona a bizarre flat tire incident in the pit cost him a shot of points.

Giovinazzi hopes his first result after his difficult start will be a turning point for his season.

10. A war over flexi wings is brewing

In addition to the intense title fight, the F1 2021 was recently dominated by a controversy over the Flexi-Wing and a war of words between the Mercedes and Red Bull camps.

This could lead to a full blown war in Baku, with Mercedes indicating that the Flexi Wing saga could lead to a protest at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix if teams are allowed to continue.

Mercedes and McLaren are annoyed at the timing of a new series of FIA tests to be rolled out after Baku, where teams who wield what are known as the “pliable” wings are likely to gain an advantage over those who don’t.

Toto Wolff has warned that Mercedes could get into a “chaotic” battle against Red Bull before the International Court of Appeal.

The situation in Baku is going to warm up, so check out this room …