From carbon fibre confetti on lap 1 to a rather uneventful, but predictable, procession to the chequered flag. It was another Monaco GP that had more action in the social media debate than on track. Yet there were some stellar performances and some horror shows on the Riviera to write home about. Find out who made the list from round 8 of the 2024 season;
Top of the class:
Charles Leclerc – Qualifying: 1st | Race: 1st
At long last the Monaco curse was lifted, as Charles finally took victory in his home race. He did it in a rather controlled drive from Pole Position.
The Free Practice pace looked ominous for Charles, and qualifying wasn’t going to plan, as the Monégasque was audibly frustrated with Ferrari’s tactics in Q1. Nevertheless, he reached Q3 and set the fastest laps on both runs.
Sunday’s race was a rather processional affair, whilst he repelled a few half-attempts from Oscar Piastri behind, Leclerc was in complete control and led home the pack with a seven-second margin in hand.
His first victory since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix puts him 31 points behind Max in the standings, the next Grand Prix will be the litmus test as to whether he and Ferrari are really in a fight with the reigning World Champion.
Oscar Piastri – Qualifying: 2nd | Race: 2nd
The Aussie has rather been left in Lando’s shadow this season, following on from his strong rookie year, with his teammate taking home a number of podiums and even a race win so far.
This time around, it was Oscar taking home the plaudits, coming closest to stopping Charles from winning the race. In fact, had he set his best sector times in one lap, he had the pace to take pole.
In the race, a sluggish start nearly cost Piastri as he had contact once again with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, this time on the exit of Sainte Devote on lap one, before the carnage unfolded behind. Thankfully there was limited damage and Piastri never really looked challenged until the closing laps. He held off the Spaniard as his tyres faded and took home his best Grand Prix result with P2.
Honourable mentions go to Yuki Tsunoda, Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly. The final three points finishers all had strong weekends, with Yuki being the pick of the bunch as he led the midfield once again. Albon and Gasly also picked up their top 10 finishes this season, adding some critical points for Williams and Alpine, respectively.
The struggle bus:
Haas
Nico Hülkenberg – Qualifying: DSQ (originally qualified: 12th) | Race: DNF
Kevin Magnussen – Qualifying: DSQ (originally qualified: 15th) | Race: DNF
Monaco hasn’t been a kind venue for the American team, but this season was by far their worst outing in the Principality. Both cars were kicked out of qualifying as the team’s upgraded rear wing failed inspection. A shame, as both cars made it to Q2 for the first time in Monaco.
Race day was over in about 30 seconds. Starting on the back row, both cars made decent starts, but a catastrophic contact between KMAG and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez set off a rather expensive game of F1 ping pong up the hill at Beau Rivage.
The contact took both Kevin and Checo out, along with Nico. Where the German was an innocent bystander, as he was collected by the stricken Red Bull. Costly damage for both teams… And considering Magnussen’s penalty points haul at present, it’s a wonder why he didn’t back out of the closing space.
Sergio Pérez – Qualifying: 16th (promoted from 18th) | Race: DNF
Twelve months ago, Sergio was consigned to dead last after crashing out of qualifying. This year he was knocked out in Q1. It was on pure pace this year, and it wasn’t entirely to blame on the Mexican, as both he and Max had their struggles in qualifying.
Sunday’s race was another hall of shame entry for Sergio. I personally believe both he and Magnussen share equal blame for the crash that caused around $3 million of damage to just the Mexican’s car alone.
He may be close to that extension with the team, but with McLaren and Ferrari breathing down Red Bull’s neck in the Constructor’s standings, these performances make an extension hard to justify.
Esteban Ocon – Qualifying: 11th | Race: DNF
I find the social media daggers for Esteban rather harsh, and the lack of team support is a surprise considering he had Alpine’s sole point heading into Monaco.
The move on his teammate into Portier was over-opportunistic and sent his Alpine airborne, causing his retirement from the race. The five-place grid drop for Canada seems fair but calls to drop Esteban seems rather dramatic considering Pierre ultimately went on to score a point in Sunday’s race.
Perhaps it hints at unrest in the team with both Esteban and Pierre rumoured to be looking outside the Enstone outfit for 2025 drives. Needless to say, some harmony needs to be restored.
Monaco GP
Just 41 overtakes around the Monaco Circuit since it returned from a COVID-enforced hiatus in 2020, including two weather-impacted races. 2024 also saw the top 10 finish in the exact same order as they qualified for the first time in F1 history.
The question remains, what can the sport do to liven things up? This year’s race was a victim of two factors, an early red flag and Pirelli’s softest there’s still not degrading quick enough. George Russell was able to do 74 laps on a set of the C4 tyres, albeit running seconds off the pace.
The current generation of cars doesn’t help, and Formula 2 in particular showed that overtaking is difficult but possible. My suggestion would be to only bring the softest tyre and mandate a two-stop race, but I’m ultimately not an F1 rule maker. The biggest gripe is the red flag rule, the mandatory pitstop should simply not be allowed to happen under it.
Dishonourable mention goes to Fernando Alonso. 12 months on from his P2 and arguably best performance at Aston Martin. 2024 saw him be knocked out in Q1 for a second successive race and missed out on points having been convinced for 50 laps he was riding in P10. An unusually subpar double-header for one of F1’s most consistent drivers.
We can enjoy a week’s break from action before F1 hops back across the Atlantic for Round 9. The Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal will play host with Red Bull seeking redemption.
Lights out on Sunday 9th June at 7 pm UK time, with Ferrari and McLaren taking big steps into Red Bull’s advantage, we might have some wheel-to-wheel action at the front of the field.
