Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc's misfortune at his home race continues, thanks to a bad strategy call by Ferrari.
Clive Mason – Formula 1Getty ImagesHeavy rain produced that rarest of things—an interesting Monaco Grand Prix. The race was delayed by rain that came hard while the field ran two formation laps behind the safety car. After the rain subsided, the race started on a drying track with an additional two laps behind the safety car, during which both Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stroll crashed behind the safety car.
Pierre Gasly was the first to switch from wets to intermediates, and after struggling for a few laps, he went and set a stunning pace, managing to pass both Zhou Guanyu and Daniel Ricciardo at a track where passing is considered almost impossible with today’s ultra-wide F1 cars.
Red Bull called Sergio Perez in for intermediate tires on lap 17 in what proved to be the move of the race. Two laps later, Leclerc and Max Verstappen switched to inters, and on lap 22 Ferrari pitted both its drivers at once for dry tires. Pole-sitter and hometown hero Leclerc wasn’t happy though—Ferrari told him to stay out, but it was too late. Red Bull double-stacked its drivers for slicks the following lap, and Leclerc was left P4, with Verstappen in P3, Sainz in P2, and Perez leading.
⚠️ SAFETY CAR ⚠️
Mick Schumacher walks away from his car after crashing into the barriers at the Swimming Pool section #MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/yHQszKxGpg— Formula 1 (@F1) May 29, 2022
Mick Schumacher had a seemingly innocuous spin at the Swimming Pool section of the track, but hit the barrier in such a way that his car split in half. The German driver was fine, and after some laps after yellow, the race was red flagged. Once things got restarted, the GP turned into its typical procession. Owing to the delayed start and the red flag, the race ran up against its three-hour time limit, and a countdown clock appeared with around a half-hour remaining.
Towards the end, Sainz caught Perez, who was struggling worn tires, but Perez managed to hold on for the lead, with Verstappen and Leclerc following close behind. Closing out the top-10 was George Russell, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, and Valtteri Bottas. The only retirements were Schumacher, his Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen who was felled by mechanical issues, and Alex Albon, with Williams retiring the car late in the race.
🏁 END OF RACE 🏁TOP 10PerezSainzVerstappenLeclercRussellNorrisAlonsoHamiltonBottas
Vettel #MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/rhgjN3v1Xt— Formula 1 (@F1) May 29, 2022
The victory was a pretty stunning reversal of fortunes for Perez, who spun during Q3 before the tunnel, ending the session. It also continues a string of misfortune for Charles Leclerc at his home race. Two years in a row he’s taken pole, but it hasn’t worked out for the Monegasque driver.
Keyword: Sergio Perez Triumphs In Rain- and Crash-Shortened Monaco GP