Martin Brundle on the results of the Monaco Grand Prix

Former Formula 1 driver, Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle, analyzed the results of the Monaco Grand Prix and did not skimp on Max Verstappen’s praise…

It was the best Monaco Grand Prix I’ve been to in a long time. Interesting events took place on the track and for the first time Formula 1 was directly responsible for the television broadcast, all of which made the show even more outstanding.

During the second practice session I, along with the Sky operator, walked around the track as usual and was simply amazed by the speed of the cars and the extreme precision with which the racers steered.

Before, we just had to try not to crash into another car making sharp moves on a bumpy city circuit, and we also had manual transmissions, but now the racers are showing incredible speeds in Monaco.

The best qualification ever

Of course, you can easily crash even now. The driver most unlucky in this regard was Sergio Perez, the winner of last year’s Monaco Grand Prix, who is widely regarded as an urban route specialist.

At the start of the first part of qualifying, he went too fast into Saint Devote corner and crashed into a bumper stop on the outside of the track. Perhaps his attention was distracted by the Alpine car – she drove in front of him and cleared the track and turned for the long pit lane exit. Whatever the reason, Red Bull’s car was badly damaged and his title chances against a team-mate were dented.

Now Perez had to start from the last 20th position. In addition, when his car was lifted by a crane to evacuate it from the track, the world of Formula 1 got a great opportunity to see what the RB19 looks like from below. I’m sure everyone has taken pictures of those tricky venturis and other important aerodynamics in the bottom of a fantastically fast Red Bull car.

I don’t want to say that some team can quickly achieve the same speeds and downforce as Red Bull, but still it was very important information, because it is easy to get all the necessary measurements from the pictures.

Qualifying was a thrill and a real test for both the 25-year-old reigning world champion and 41-year-old Fernando Alonso.

In Monaco, the Aston Martin team was very keen to break the winning streak for Red Bull and Alonso did everything in his power to do so. Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon also gave their all, whose Alpine car managed to reach the second row of the grid. Ocon’s qualifying lap was just as impressive as Verstappen and Alonso’s in the final session, with Esteban eventually starting third.

This happened due to the fact that when Leclerc slowly returned to the pits and discussed the results of the last session with his engineer on the way, he was not warned that Lando Norris was running behind and the McLaren driver was doing a fast lap.

The penalty for causing interference on the track, and even in the tunnel, was unavoidable and the loss of three places on the grid can still be considered a fairly lenient penalty.

Verstappen’s last attempt, which allowed him to take pole position, was as striking as possible. All weekend Alonso drove the Aston Martin a little faster through the corners, but the Red Bull driver rose to the challenge, even though he had to run tight to the barriers. The last sector of his lap was fantastically fast and this qualifying for Formula 1 in Monaco will be remembered for a long time.

Aston Martin has been playing for a long time

So the starting field was formed, but on the Sunday before the start of the race there were so many people that the cars were almost invisible. It all felt more like Tokyo Central Station during rush hour than a starting field, but it felt like the atmosphere was really exciting. The riders acted wisely when they chose to retire to their teams’ pits, where it was even quieter.

Before the race there was talk of a possible rain shower, but it was not yet certain that it could start during the Grand Prix and last for quite a long time. Aston Martin decided to play the long game and put hard tires on Alonso’s car, meaning Fernando would hold Ocon down first at the start and not try to get ahead of Verstappen on a 150m acceleration towards the Turn 1 braking zone .

In that respect, Red Bull could relax, as Max had a fresh set of Medium tires on Max’s car, but it had to be taken into account that Alonso would have more opportunities for tactical maneuvers during the race.

This is a bold tactic, however, because if a safety car appears on track early enough, it is not a fact that Fernando would want to switch to medium-hard rubber and then drive to the finish.

Alpine and Esteban Ocon initially aimed for 3rd, so he preferred to save the tires and only the two drivers in front took the lead in a battle for victory. I don’t like this approach because when Okon pitted in the 32nd of 78 laps of the race, it was clear his tires were still holding the track quite well. But this visit to the pits left him so far behind the leaders that he wouldn’t be able to capitalize on the moment if Max or Fernando got into temporary trouble on track or at the pit stop.

There is a certain humility in such tactics, but Alpine was extremely pleased with the Frenchman’s third place finish.

In the rest of the pack, there were many different types of events, including ridiculous ones – for example, Carlos Sainz on a Ferrari poked Ocon’s car from behind, which he was clearly not happy about. And Lance Stroll and Sergio Pérez tried to get ahead when they took off from positions that didn’t match the speed capabilities of their AMR23 and RB19.

But these two-metre-wide cars are even harder to overtake in Monaco – this has always been the case, however, even in the days when Formula 1 vehicles were lighter and more compact. A good example are the futile attempts Nigel Mansell made 31 years ago to stay ahead of Ayrton Senna.

Verstappen distinguished himself in difficult circumstances

Verstappen’s pace was slightly faster than Alonso’s, but the Spaniard still stayed close enough to the leader’s car and that affected Red Bull’s tactics. Meanwhile, the threat of rain towards the end of the race became more and more real, forcing Max to drive a longer first stint.

Verstappen and Alonso acted masterfully, maintaining a high pace and at the same time rationally spending the resources of already worn rubber. And then it started to rain, and in a few corners of the furthest part of the track the asphalt was already wet. But when Alonso turned into the pits, to the surprise of many and the delight of Red Bull, a new set of slicks was put on his car.

After the race I spoke with both teams and heard opinions that Alonso would hardly have won if he immediately switched to intermediate tyres, which required him to return to the pits after just one lap, which he got at the same time as Verstappen. And yet, if he switched to them right away, then his chances of taking the lead would be much better, and this would pose a real threat to Red Bull.

As far as I know, Alonso told his team after the finish that in those specific circumstances it was necessary to make exactly the decision they made, because the track on the way to the pits was mostly dry and the asphalt wet and slippery. just in a few turns. And Fernando isn’t the kind of person who will shut up if he thinks he’s lost his win because of someone, certainly not in Monaco.

After that it was necessary to drive another 24 laps on a very wet track, and it was so wet that Perez switched tires in heavy rain – since he did not claim any points at all, Red Bull put an experiment on him.

Commenting on the race I noted that Mercedes made a very timely decision to switch to intermediate tyres: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell got them on lap 53. But then I didn’t realize that Russell could have taken 3rd from Okon as he had not blocked the wheels in the Mirabeau corner.

He then also received a 5 second penalty for a dangerous return to the track: his car took a significant blow from the RB19 behind Perez. In fact, though, the rider still has no choice but to try to get back to the track, add gas and hope for the best. Unless you enter the relegation zone to wait patiently for the marshal’s signal, who will wave you when the track is clear.

At the sides of the cockpit, which has high side walls, the riders can’t see much and, moreover, the HANS system is attached to the helmet and you can only turn your head a small angle in any case. And if your car was outside the racing line, then the mirrors are practically useless.

When Max Verstappen tried to find the right pace for these difficult conditions, he hit the barriers a few times, but the suspension, tie rods and wheels of modern machines are quite strong.

In general, Max had a brilliant victory and won the Monaco Grand Prix for the second time in his career – this year he did not fall below second place at all. This successful run has continued and he is now 39 points ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez.

When I was competing with players like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen, and was inferior to them in sheer speed and talent, I realized it was necessary to maximize all the factors I could influence. That. it’s about setting up the car, good starts, circles to get back to the pits, ability to handle traffic, etc. So it’s better for Sergio to accept the prospect of finishing second and take it to recognize the genius of Verstappen, and to demonstrate his special skills on good days, like last year in Singapore and this season in Baku.

After one hour and 49 minutes of racing in full concentration and under extreme conditions, the top three reached the famous podium in Monaco, where they were congratulated by Prince Albert and his wife, ending an interesting weekend. Now we are waiting for the Barcelona circuit, which is only a few hours away, where everyone is waiting for a new, but already different challenge.