F1 results: Monaco GP 2022 standings in full as Charles Leclerc mistake gifts Sergio Perez victory - iNews
Sergio Perez kept a calm head to win just a third grand prix of his career on another frustrating home race for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the Monaco Grand Prix.
A miscommunication in Ferrari pit strategy gifted Red Bull's Perez the lead after Leclerc – who didn't finish last year's race – had successfully defended his pole position during a wet opening.
But as the greasy track began to dry on the streets of Monte Carlo, Ferrari got mixed up with what to do with their Monegasque driver, who ended up unexpectedly pitting and letting the two Red Bulls and his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz through.
A crash involving Mick Schumacher – which ripped his Haas in two down by the swimming pool chicane – briefly paused the race that had already been delayed an hour due to heavy rain.
More from Formula 1
And once the cars were safely back on the track the procession began, with Perez fending off Sainz to deliver a fortuitous race win, as the Ferraris and Red Bull went nose-to-tail but without overtaking during the final laps.
Perhaps it was redemption for Perez, though, who was asked to make way for team-mate Max Verstappen in Barcelona last week. Verstappen himself had one of his less eventful afternoons but did enough to see off Leclerc, secure a podium place and extend his Drivers' Championship lead to nine points.
F1 result: Monaco GP 2022
- 1st: Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- 2nd: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- 3rd: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 4th: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 5th: George Russell (Mercedes)
- 6th: Lando Norris (McLaren)*
- 7th: Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
- 8th: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 9th: Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
- 10th: Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
- 11th: Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
- 12th: Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
- 13th: Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
- 14th: Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- 15th: Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
- 16th: Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
- 17th: Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
- DNF: Alex Albon (Williams), Mick Schumacher (Haas), Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
* Fastest lap
For all its glamour, Monte Carlo is a fairly predictable grand prix. The lack of passing points means qualification can win or lose you the race before Sunday has even begun. Tyre strategy and drivers successfully not crashing is usually the way forward for teams here.
But when the rain suddenly pours moments before lights out, the mad rush to find a new race strategy begins. Sunday's formation lap was delayed as teams scrambled to change their tyres and went out under a safety car. The usually-baked Monaco streets were suddenly rivers of grease.
This is a circuit where no chances can be taken on safety. Perez can attest to that after Saturday's crash in qualifying. Lewis Hamilton spoke ahead of the race about how he'd pushed his Mercedes to the max in qualifying – and even then the Silver Arrows were lagging behind Ferrari and Red Bull. Sometimes just finishing this race is an accomplishment in itself.
And it certainly seemed as though the race leaders were doing their best to just get through the day. With DRS disabled in the wet conditions, the Ferraris led the two Red Bulls tentatively around the early laps. It became little more than a procession – no wonder F1 owners Liberty Media have warned race organisers to modernise or face the chop.
Eventually the rain subsided and racing could begin in earnest. And it was a miscommunication in pit strategy that did for Leclerc, as he lost his lead a third into the allotted 77 laps when jumping onto the hard tyres – ideal for drying conditions – two laps before the chasing Red Bulls.
Leclerc was initially told to box, but then ordered to stay out as Ferrari realised Perez and Verstappen would jump him with an overcut. Leclerc barked over the radio as he helplessly came in, having already followed the initial orders.
Meanwhile, in those interim laps, both Perez and Verstappen built up enough of a gap to pit together and each jump a Ferrari. Whereas last week's Spanish Grand Prix was dogged by underlapping concerns, here it was the overlap that aided the Red Bulls.
Schumacher's nasty crash moments after the lapping fiasco brought the race to a halt. Once the Haas had been trawled away and the wall fixed, Perez led the group out for the second half of the race.
With so many delays it was no wonder the afternoon was eventually cut short. The stewards set a 32-minute clock and the front-four formation didn't change, despite DRS being reactivated.
Further back, Hamilton spent the rest of the race struggling to bypass a laborious Fernando Alonso in seventh. Hamilton has won this grand prix three times in his career but was never close to threatening even the podium places here.
Indeed, for a race that became increasingly eventful in the early stages, it was a finish that lacked the fireworks promised in Monaco.
Comments
Post a Comment