The Monaco Grand Prix weekend is always the most challenging of the season due to the claustrophobic proximity of the barriers and the lack of any margin for error.
That challenge became even harder as rain fell over the Monte Carlo street circuit once again, but remarkably there was not a single Safety Car or red flag intervention – a testament to the skill of the current grid.
However, while some impressed with their ability to stay cool, others wilted under the pressure of one of the most difficult races on the calendar. Here are the RaceFans driver ratings for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen – 8/10
Qualified: Pole (+19 places ahead of team mate, -1.464s)
Grid: Pole (+19 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-I)
Finished: Winner(+15 places ahead of team mate)
- Quickest in every timed session aside from first practice
- Only just snatched pole position on his final lap to beat Alonso by 0.084s, brushing barriers in the process
- Started on mediums and pulled gradually away from Alonso out front
- Expertly managed his tyres, extending his stint as the threat of rain loomed
- Kept his car on track when the rain arrived before pitting for intermediates
- Pulled away further from Alonso over closing laps despite kissing barriers once to win by almost half a minute
Although the history books will show Verstappen’s second Monaco win as another dominant win from pole, he was made to work hard for it. He had to genuinely go all out in qualifying to deny Alonso pole and his pace and consistency on the mediums was unmatched. He stayed cool when the rain came and once he fitted the intermediates, it was race over. Another unstoppable weekend from the world champion
Sergio Perez – 2/10
Qualified: 20th (-19 places behind team mate, +1.464s)
Grid: 20th (-19 places behind team mate)
Start: +2 places
Strategy: Five-stop (M-H-M-I-W-I)
Finished: 16th (-15 places behind team mate)
- Crashed out of Q1 at Sainte Devote, leaving him stranded at the very back of the grid
- Started on mediums and almost jumped the start before pitting on the opening lap for hard tyres
- Ran behind Stroll for first 30 laps until lapped by team mate, clashing with Stroll at chicane and gaining a place
- Ran into the back of Magnussen at chicane, damaging front wing and losing a place to Stroll
- Pitted for mediums and a new front wing, emerging just ahead of Sargeant in 19th
- Pitted for intermediates when the rain fell, then clipped rejoining Russell at Mirabeau
- Shown a black-and-white warning flag for four track limits infringements
- Gambled on wet tyres but eventually pitted a fifth time for intermediates
- Almost crashed out at the Swimming Pool, brushing the outside barrier but avoiding damage
- Caught wet-shod Hulkenberg but could not pass him before the end of the race, finishing 17th on the track
- Promoted to 16th after Hulkenberg’s penalty was applied
One of Perez’s worst weekends in a Red Bull. He was not exactly struggling for pace, having been second behind his team mate in final practice, but crashing out of his second push lap in Q1 is inexcusable and he admitted as much. While the chances of making his way through the field were slim, he fared worse than others before him have in history. He spent far too much of the race making contact with rivals and the barriers and looked like a rookie who had been thrown in last minute rather than a former wet Monaco Grand Prix winner.
Charles Leclerc – 6/10
Qualified: 3rd (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.159s)
Grid: 6th (-2 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-I)
Finished: 6th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Qualified third but was hit with three place penalty for impeding Norris after team failed to warn him about the McLaren
- Started on hard tyres and ran directly behind Hamilton in sixth for the first 30 laps, eventually moving into third as cars pitted
- Pitted for medium tyres on lap 44 to resume behind Hamilton in seventh
- Switched to intermediates when rain fell just ahead of team mate, rejoining in sixth place
- Could not catch Russell ahead and was caught by Gasly in closing laps, but held onto sixth
Another disappointing home grand prix for Leclerc who continues to enjoy no luck around Monaco. This year, his race was compromised in qualifying thanks to his engineer failing to warn him about Norris approaching, which robbed him of his third place on the grid. He drove a mature race, biding his time behind Hamilton but could not over-cut him. When the rain came, he kept the car on the road but had no answer for the Mercedes ahead, but beat Gasly and his team mate over the line.
Carlos Sainz Jnr – 4/10
Qualified: 5th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.159s)
Grid: 4th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-I)
Finished: 8th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Quickest in the opening practice session but crashed heavily into Swimming Pool barriers in second Friday session
- Qualified fifth behind team mate and Ocon but gained fourth after Leclerc’s penalty
- Started on hard tyres and ran fourth behind Ocon
- Clipping the back of Ocon at the chicane, damaging front wing and receiving a black-and-white flag
- Pitted for mediums but was frustrated to be denied chance to attack Ocon, moving to fifth when Leclerc and Gasly pitted
- Slid off into the Mirabeau barriers when the rain fell, losing a place to Leclerc, then lost time stacking in the pits
- Emerged from the pits on intermediates in eighth, where he would finish less than a second behind Gasly
Another underwhelming weekend for Sainz who ended Friday in the barriers, ended Saturday behind Ocon and ended Sunday with only four points. Given that he started ahead of his team mate despite being out-qualified by him, finishing behind was a disappointing result. It’s hard to be too critical about his spin, given how late Ferrari left their call to switch to intermediates gambling on a Safety Car or red flag, but clattering into Ocon wasn’t his best show of racecraft.
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George Russell – 5/10
Qualified: 8th (-2 places behind team mate, +0.239s)
Grid: 8th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-I)
Finished: 5th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in all three practice sessions
- Couldn’t quite match Hamilton in qualifying to line up eighth on the grid
- Started on hard tyres and ran in eighth, gaining three places when Hamilton, Ocon and Sainz pitted ahead
- Moved up to third when Leclerc and Gasly pitted to sit pretty when rain fell, pitting for intermediates and jumping Ocon
- Lost around 15 seconds running off at Mirabeau, falling behind Ocon and Hamilton
- Earned a five second time penalty for unsafe rejoin after hitting Perez
- Finished fifth, ten seconds behind team mate, keeping position despite penalty
Despite likely being happy to take fourth place heading into the weekend, this was not the best performance from Russell. He wasn’t as strong as his team mate in qualifying and the rain came at just the right time for him to leapfrog a number of his rivals, but he threw away a likely podium by running off the track under little pressure.
Lewis Hamilton – 7/10
Qualified: 6th (+2 places ahead of team mate, -0.239s)
Grid: 5th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-I)
Finished: 4th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in all three practice sessions
- Beat Russell by two tenths in Q3 to qualify sixth, which became fifth after Leclerc’s penalty
- Ran fifth in the opening stint with Leclerc within a second behind until being the first of leaders to pit for hards
- Dropped to eighth but moved up to sixth when Leclerc and Gasly pitted before pitting for intermediates when rain fell
- Emerged behind Ocon and team mate Russell but moved up to fourth when Russell ran off track
- Tried to pressure Ocon for the final podium place but had to settle for fourth
- Claimed the bonus point for fastest lap
The better of the Mercedes drivers this weekend, Hamilton put in a strong performance across Saturday and Sunday and made no mistakes, pushing when he needed to on hard tyres to protect his track position. He was unable to challenge Ocon for the final podium position and would have been unlucky to finish behind his team mate with his extra pit stop, but Russell’s error put paid to that. A solid performance.
Esteban Ocon – 9/10
Qualified: 4th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.38s)
Grid: 3rd (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-I)
Finished: 3rd (+4 places ahead of team mate)
- Secured fourth on the grid with brilliant final Q3 lap that put him on provisional pole
- Started third after Leclerc’s penalty, dropping back from Alonso ahead in the opening stint
- Clipped by Sainz at the chicane but appeared to be unscathed, remaining third until pitting for hard tyres on lap 32
- Moved back up to fourth as cars ahead pitted before pitting for intermediates behind Russell
- Reclaimed third when Russell ran off at Mirabeau and the Ferraris pitted a lap later
- Absorbed pressure from Hamilton behind over the rest of the race to claim the final podium place in third
A truly exceptional weekend for Ocon and Alpine resulting in a well-deserved podium. That he was even in the fight for pole position at all is remarkable given the competition at the front. While he did benefit from Leclerc’s penalty, he remained unshakable under pressure from Sainz and Hamilton – not having to revert to any desperation to keep either behind. In a race without a Safety Car or red flag, getting a midfield car to the podium with no retirements at the front is an outstanding achievement.
Pierre Gasly – 6/10
Qualified: 7th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.38s)
Grid: 7th (-4 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-I)
Finished: 7th (-4 places behind team mate)
- Easily reached Q3 ahead of team mate but could not match Ocon in the shootout, taking seventh on the grid
- Held onto seventh place over the opening stint, picking up four positions when cars pitted ahead
- Pitted for hard tyres on lap 47 despite asking to stay out, dropping to eighth, then had to pit again for intermediates
- Received a black-and-white warning flag for four track limits offences
- Gained a place over Sainz to sit seventh, keeping the Ferrari at bay to finish there
On a weekend when he was overshadowed by his team mate taking a podium finish, Gasly deserves credit for his performance also. He had similar pace to Ocon all weekend but could not match his brilliant final Q3 effort but managed his tyres well to put himself into a strong position, running third before being called into the pits for mediums – a decision he later criticised. Despite missing out on potential track position, he brought his car home in one piece ahead of a Ferrari to help add six addition points to his team mate’s tally.
Lando Norris – 6/10
Qualified: 10th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.018s)
Grid: 10th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-I)
Finished: 9th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- Just beat team mate into Q3 by a slim margin, but hit the wall twice on his final Q2 lap, suffering suspension damage
- Managed to be sent out for a single Q3 lap but was badly blocked by Leclerc, leaving him tenth
- Started on mediums and ran ahead of team mate in early phase
- Called in to switch to hard tyres just before rain fell, having to pit again for intermediates four laps later
- Passed team mate to move back up to tenth, then gained his final finishing place of ninth after Tsunoda went off
A good weekend’s work for Norris to lead his team mate home into the points in ninth, picking up one place from where he started. Although he’ll never know where he could have started after he was blocked by Leclerc in Q3, he was lucky he didn’t suffer more from him driving into the barriers. He was fortunate he didn’t lose out too badly from an extra stop, but Piastri was polite enough to offer no resistance.
Oscar Piastri – 6/10
Qualified: 11th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.018s)
Grid: 11th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (H-I)
Finished: 10th (-1 place behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Only just missed out on following team mate into Q3 by less than 0.02s to line up in 11th
- Started on hard tyres and held 11th place behind team mate until the rain came, then switched directly to intermediates
- Moved ahead of team mate Norris in the pit cycle but came under pressure, eventually allowing him through at Rascasse
- Gained the final point when Tsunoda ran off track at Mirabeau, following his team mate home one lap down
A solid first Monaco Grand Prix for Piastri who successfully avoided the barriers through the weekend, unlike his team mate. He did a good job to almost match Norris in qualifying and got into a good rhythm in the early phase of the race. He kept a cool head to make the right call to switch to intermediates and didn’t hold up Norris who was faster behind. Described his race in one word as “enjoyable” and with his second top ten finish, it’s easy to see why.
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Valtteri Bottas – 6/10
Qualified: 15th (+4 places ahead of team mate, -0.485s)
Grid: 15th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-I)
Finished: 11th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every session
- Progressed to Q2 but was eliminated slowest after complaining of traffic on his final flying lap
- Ran 14th behind Albon in the early laps until the Williams pitted, then caught up to De Vries but unable to pass
- Was one of the first to switch to intermediates when the rain came, passing De Vries for 12th
- Picked up 11th when Tsunoda slid off at Mirabeau, eventually finishing there
A good weekend for Bottas, but one without any points to show for it. He was frustrated not to qualify as high as he felt his car was capable of due to traffic, but gaining four places during a Monaco Grand Prix without any Safety Cars is an achievement in itself. Made the right call to pit for intermediates and given the speed of the McLarens ahead, it was likely 11th was as good as he could have achieved.
Zhou Guanyu – 5/10
Qualified: 19th (-4 places behind team mate, +0.485s)
Grid: 19th (-4 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (S-H-I)
Finished: 13th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every session
- Failed to follow team mate through to Q2 after being eliminated in 19th, almost have a second slower
- Started on soft tyres to pit for hards at the end of lap one, running in 19th before being passed by Hulkenberg
- Pitted for intermediates in the rain, overtaking Magnussen who remained on dry tyres to move up to 14th
- Held off Albon behind and picked up 13th when Tsunoda ran off track, eventually finishing there
A solid enough weekend from Zhou, who kept it clean across the weekend even in the face of difficult conditions in the race. His qualifying performance was not strong and he was slower than Bottas all weekend, but he made progress in the race and did not make any mistakes of note when the track fell slippery. A reasonable if unrewarding performance.
Lance Stroll – 3/10
Qualified: 14th (-12 places behind team mate, +0.516s)
Grid: 14th (-12 places behind team mate)
Start: -3 places
Strategy: One-stop (H-I)
Finished: Retired (Damage – L53)
- Showed promising pace in final practice and was quicker than team mate in Q1
- Held up by weigh bridge mishap in Q2, then picked up debris from Norris on final lap, eliminated in 14th
- Picked up damage from contact with Hulkenberg and Albon at start, falling to 17th
- Ran behind Magnussen before passing Sargeant for 16th
- Hit the Haas into Anthony Noghes, earning a black-and-white warning flag, then battled with Perez, having further contact
- Pitted for intermediates when the rain fell, passing Perez on dry tyres
- Ran off at Mirabeau, then hit the barrier at the hairpin, damaging car and pulling off into retirement
A miserable weekend for Stroll whose chances of strong points were effectively ended on Saturday when he failed to reach Q3, although onboard footage from his final flying laps shows him running over two pieces of debris at Tabac, corroborating his explanation after the session, though he had put himself on the back foot by failing to set a quicker time earlier and missing the weigh bridge. In the race he was sloppy, clipping Magnussen and sliding off the track three times in three corners even after switching to intermediates. The only driver in the field to crash out of the race.
Fernando Alonso – 8/10
Qualified: 2nd (+12 places ahead of team mate, -0.516s)
Grid: 2nd (+12 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (H-M-I)
Finished: 2nd
- Only just missed out on first pole position in over a decade despite two purple sectors
- Opted for hard tyres to start race and ran second in the early laps, gradually falling away from Verstappen ahead
- Gained back ground when Verstappen hit traffic, then maintained gap to just under ten seconds
- Called into the pits for medium tyres when rain fell, then immediately pitted the following lap for intermediates, keeping second
- Received a black-and-white flag for four track limits offences
- Dropped off from Verstappen ahead in the wet conditions to finish second just under half a minute behind
Yet another very strong performance from Alonso who pushed Verstappen harder than he ever had before. He was only a blink away from pole position and he played the long game by starting on the hard tyres, but admitted he just couldn’t match Verstappen’s pace. He could have lost an opportunity to attack the leader when he was switched to mediums in the wet, but he was more than happy to settle for second.
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Kevin Magnussen – 5/10
Qualified: 17th (+1 place ahead of team mate, -0.009s)
Grid: 17th (+1 place ahead of team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: One-stop (H-W)
Classified: 19th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in every timed session
- Knocked out in Q1 in 17th, just ahead of team mate
- Ran in 16th behind Sargeant in opening laps, eventually passing him with well-judged move into Mirabeau
- Held off Stroll in 14th place until the rain fell, but gambled on staying out on slick tyres
- Dropped four places on one straight before sliding into barriers at Rascasse on slicks, damaging front wing
- Recovered to finally pit wet tyres and rejoining in last
- Received black-and-white flag for four track limits infringements
- Called into the garage to retire three laps down
A difficult weekend where Magnussen did what he could to try and make something happen, but received little from the racing gods in return. He was the faster of the two Haas drivers over the weekend, but only by a small margin. It was worth taking a risk on a Safety Car or even a red flag, but neither came and he helplessly slid into the wall – something he cannot reasonably be blamed for.
Nico Hulkenberg – 4/10
Qualified: 18th (-1 place behind team mate, +0.009s)
Grid: 18th (-1 place behind team mate)
Start: -2 places
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-I-W)
Finished: 17th (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Behind team mate in every timed session.
- Clipped the chicane barrier in first practice, damaging left-rear and limiting his early running
- Eliminated from Q1 in 18th but virtually matched his team mate’s time
- Earned a five second penalty for lap one divebomb into Mirabeau, clattering into Sargeant and puncturing a tyre
- Dropped to last after opening lap stop for hards but passed Zhou and Sargeant in the same lap to move 17th
- Pitted for intermediates then again for wet tyres, running in 17th
- Picked up 16th when Perez pitted for intermediates and finished ahead but fell to 17th after ten-second penalty
Not Hulkenberg’s best weekend on his return to Formula 1 so far. He was very closely matched to his team mate across the opening two days but claimed to have a peculiar handling issue that he had to manage. He admitted his lap one divebomb was simply him going for broke – it resulted in a penalty and damaged tyres. With no Safety Cars, it was worth gambling on wets even if it did not pay off and his post-race penalty was his team’s fault, not his.
Yuki Tsunoda – 5/10
Qualified: 9th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.179s)
Grid: 9th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-I)
Finished: 15th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Earned team a €1,000 fine and a warning for failing to activate pit speed limiter in FP2
- Ahead of team mate in every timed session
- Reached Q3 to qualify in ninth, where he ran for the entirety of his opening stint on mediums
- Pitted for intermediates but struggled with braking, coming under pressure from Norris behind before being passed
- Ran off at Mirabeau, costing him three places, then passed by Zhou and Albon the next lap
- Fell to 15th where he would eventually finish
A promising weekend for Tsunoda that should have rewarded him with points eventually left him with nothing at all. He was quicker than his team mate all weekend and held ninth place for the majority of the race, but once the rain came, he suffered with his brakes and could not find performance from them in the wet conditions. Given how frantically the team worked to offer him solutions that never worked, he gets the benefit of the doubt. But not for his dangerous pit limit mishap on Friday.
Nyck de Vries – 5/10
Qualified: 12th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.179s)
Grid: 12th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: One-stop (M-I)
Finished: 12th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Behind team mate in every timed session
- Just escaped Q1 in 15th but failed to follow team mate Tsunoda into Q3, knocked out in 12th
- Ran in 12th from lap one, holding Bottas at bay until pitting for intermediate tyres in the rain
- Lost a place being passed by Bottas but picked up 12th again when Tsunoda went off at Mirabeau
- Finished in 12th place, 28 seconds behind Bottas
A quietly professional weekend from De Vries who looked like an experienced driver rather than a rookie in the most challenging conditions of his F1 career so far. He could match the pace of his team mate across the weekend but he kept his nose clear and managed to avoid mistakes where many more celebrated drivers did not. Finished ahead of Tsunoda but solely due to his team mate’s mistake, however deserves credit for a clean weekend.
Alexander Albon – 4/10
Qualified: 13th (+3 places ahead of team mate, -0.407s)
Grid: 13th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
Start: Held position
Strategy: Two-stop (M-H-I)
Finished: 14th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
- Crashed hard at Sainte Devote at the end of first practice, causing significant damage which cost him running in FP2
- Easily reached Q2 and comfortably ahead of team mate but was eliminated in 13th
- Ran 13th in the early stages before pitting for hard tyres and running 18th, right behind Zhou
- Switched to intermediates and continued chasing Zhou but ran off down the escape road at Mirabeau, losing time
- Received black-and-white flag for four track limits offences
- Finished 14th, seven seconds behind Zhou a lap down
A below-par weekend for Albon who did not start the event on the right foot by wrecking his car at the end of practice. Despite the shunt he put in a decent performance in qualifying and had good pace in the dry during the race, but lost a chance to pass Zhou with a mistake later on. He was unlikely to score points with no retirements ahead but should not be crashing his car in the opening practice session.
Logan Sargeant – 3/10
Qualified: 16th (-3 places behind team mate, +0.407s)
Grid: 16th (-3 places behind team mate)
Start: +1 place
Strategy: Three-stop (M-H-S-I)
Finished: 18th (-4 places behind team mate)
- Suffered an ill-fitted right-rear wheel in first practice which cost him track time
- Failed to follow team mate through to Q2, four tenths slower to be eliminated in 16th
- Passed Bottas at the start but lost two places when shoved aside by Hulkenberg
- Fell away from Bottas as medium tyres degraded, eventually losing three places on lap 17
- Pitted for hards on lap 20 but immediately suffered a puncture and had to stop again, leaving him last
- Switched to intermediates for his first experience in the wet but made mistakes at the hairpin and Sainte Devote
- Received a five second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane
- Finished 18th, two laps down
A tricky first Monaco Grand Prix for Sargeant where everything that could go wrong in the race seemed to do just that. It’s not his fault he suffered a puncture that ruined his race and having your first experience of driving an F1 car in the wet being in the race at Monaco is a baptism of fire. He made two mistakes that cost him almost minute – one error could be forgiven, but he has to be marked down further for the second and his speeding penalty.
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