Leclerc finally the best in Monaco, weaker weekend for Verstappen
F1 News
As ever, Monaco was mainly about qualifying. Due to the early red flag, the race became a parade, and the drivers could almost only be judged on their qualifying performances. These are GPblog's ratings after the Grand Prix in the Principality.
Ratings from GPblog after the Monaco Grand Prix
Leclerc: 10
Charles Leclerc was finally the man in Monaco. From the first session, the Monegasque stood out head and shoulders above the rest, and this time, victory did not elude him. A very well-deserved win in a strong weekend for the Ferrari driver.
Piastri: 9
Oscar Piastri also impressed in Monaco by beating his teammate. His second visit to Monaco ended in a trip to the podium, giving him the taste for more. His first win in F1 is getting closer and closer.
Sainz: 5
Carlos Sainz could not match his teammate this weekend and was saved by the red flag. His race seemed to be at an end due to a touch with Piastri. However, after the red flag he was allowed to start from P3 again and got on the podium after the race.
Norris: 6
Lando Norris was the weaker of the two McLarens this weekend. On Sunday, Norris tried everything, but more than P4 was not in the cards.
Russell: 8
George Russell performed the maximum for Mercedes by finishing fifth and fending off Verstappen's attack.
Verstappen: 7
For Max Verstappen, there did not seem to be much more in it than sixth place. Contact with the wall may not have earned him the maximum result in qualifying, but the Dutchman probably could not have finished much higher.
Hamilton: 6
Lewis Hamilton had another weaker weekend, losing to his teammate in qualifying and the race. Even with his undercut attempt, Hamilton himself was not fully awake. His team should have mentioned it clearly, but Hamilton could have paid a bit of attention himself.
Tsunoda: 7
A strong performance by Yuki Tsunoda who once again managed to bring in the points for the team.
Albon: 7
Alexander Albon scored the first points of the season for Williams this weekend. The points are much needed and came mainly through good qualifying.
Gasly: 7
Pierre Gasly scores a point for Alpine after a strong qualifying session. Things got tense for a while with his teammate, but the point was not in danger in the end.
Alonso: 5
Fernando Alonso had a disappointing weekend for Aston Martin. The Spaniard did not get through Q1 and had to defend in the race mostly. Work is required for his teammate, who then did not even manage to reap the rewards.
Ricciardo: 5
Daniel Ricciardo again came up short against his teammate in 'his Monaco'. No Q3 and, therefore, stuck behind Alonso in the race.
Bottas: 6
There was not much more in store for Valtteri Bottas in Monaco than a place in the middle of the pack. Sauber's car was not fast enough for more. The overtaking move on Sargeant was nice to see, though.
Stroll: 5
Lance Stroll had a solid qualifying session and was helped into the race by his teammate to open the attack on fresh tyres. There, however, Stroll again showed his incompetence by immediately hitting the wall and having to go back in.
Sargeant: 5
Logan Sargeant was just about the only driver to be overtaken in Monaco during the race. The American sees his place at Williams becoming increasingly uncertain.
Zhou: 5
Not a strong performance from Guanyu Zhou. The least in qualifying and then in the race also unable to engage in real duels.
Ocon: 4
Esteban Ocon showed himself to be an incredibly bad teammate again on Sunday with the overtake on Gasly. In doing so, he risked the point Alpine so desperately needs. Team boss Bruno Famin's words afterwards said it all.
Perez: 3
Sergio Perez delivered a dramatic performance in Monaco. Not getting through Q1 with a Red Bull is unacceptable. The stewards did not investigate the crash further. Perez did look in his mirror, and sitting in a Red Bull, you then have to wonder why he didn't give the Dane a little more space on the first lap of the race. The damage is costing his team a fortune.
Hulkenberg: 6
Nico Hulkenberg had a good qualifying, but his team was disqualified. In the race, Hulkenberg did not get far, but he was not to blame for the crash. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Magnussen: 3
Kevin Magnussen was again the weaker of the two Haas drivers in qualifying and quickly ended his race. Perez could have given him more space, but how much risk do you take on the first lap of the race, and with a race suspension looming?
GPblog F1 Ratings after Monaco
