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 Motorsport 
Tuesday, May 30 2023
What the f***? All-time rain drama in Monaco madness as Aussie stars

Max Verstappen reigned supreme in one of the most dramatic editions of the Monaco Grand Prix in years, beating Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in a dominant 27-second win around the principality.

It appeared to be a two-horse race between Verstappen and Alonso for much of the race, before rain struck with around 25 laps remaining, causing chaos up and down the grid as drivers crashed again and again.

“It was quite difficult there in the wet, quite enjoyable as well,” the reigning F1 champion Verstappen told his team after his second career win in Monaco extended his championship lead.

Alonso claimed a fifth podium finish in the past six races, equalling Aston Martin’s best-ever finish of second, while Alpine’s Ocon was sensational for his third, seemingly the only driver to avoid hitting the wall in a wild race.

He roared on live TV: “Estie Bestie’s on the podium, baby!”

Lewis Hamilton was fourth ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, despite the latter copping a penalty for a scary crash.

Meanwhile, McLaren had a sensational day with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both finishing in the points - ninth and tenth respectively - as Australia’s Piastri claimed just his second points finish in Formula 1.

But it was another disastrous race for Ferrari, who were caught out by the rain and tumbled to sixth (Charles Leclerc) and eighth (Carlos Sainz).

Spain’s Sainz was caught in a number of incidents, narrowly avoiding disaster after an early crash, and later raging at the team over strategy calls.

TOP 10

1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing

2 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin

3 Esteban OCON Alpine

4 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes

5 George RUSSELL Mercedes

6 Charles LECLERC Ferrari

7 Pierre GASLY Alpine

8 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari

9 Lando NORRIS McLaren

10 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren

LAP BY LAP REPORT

Nico Hulkenberg was given a five-second time penalty for crashing into Logan Sargeant of the Williams on the opening lap. Lance Stroll then tried to get around Sargeant on the next corner, but there was not enough room, and he hit the wall before colliding with the Williams.

That saw Hulkenberg bump into Sargeant again as they crawled around the hairpin, the slowest corner in the entire F1 season.

“I’ve got damage and a puncture,” Stroll told team radio - but didn’t pit, and clearly didn’t have a puncture.

Hulkenberg however did immediately pit. But the Haas driver lost ten seconds in the pits after trying to drive off too early, with his right rear tyre not yet locked on.

Meanwhile, Sergio Perez of Red Bull pitted after the very first lap to change onto hard tyres, allowing him to run to the end of the race on that set of tyres. Having started last, it was a bold strategy to charge up the field.

Meanwhile George Russell of Mercedes, starting eighth, was lucky to avoid a penalty for failing to line up behind his allocated line on the starting grid - despite appearing to be slightly too far forward.

Then on lap 11, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari pushed too hard in a bold overtake attempt into the Swimming Pool complex, but collided with third-place Esteban Ocon, causing damage to his own front wing.

A part of his front wing - the left end plate - then fell off, causing a yellow flag in sector one. Lewis Hamilton ran over the debris but appeared undamaged, while Fernando Alonso, running second, was also concerned about a puncture from the broken part.

But in a shocking move, Ferrari opted not to pit Sainz for a new front wing, and risking potential disqualification for running an unsafe vehicle.

He was not penalised for the failed move, however.

Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports: “That wasn’t the right call. That was a 50/50 move there and now he’s wrecked his race.”

While Verstappen soared into clean air out front, cruising past Alonso’s Aston Martin, there was more drama at the rear of the pack. Sergio Perez was up to 16th after a quarter of the race, while the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant were horribly struggling with tyre degradation as they tumbled down to the bottom two places.

Kevin Magnussen also rebounded from his difficult start to rise to 14th, but was forced to desperately cover Lance Stroll - the two drivers who had been caught in the drama on lap one again threatening to crash.

Sargeant pitted for a second time, taking on soft tyres in an interesting move at the back of the pack after a possible puncture. Later, it was revealed that it was a deliberate move from Williams to help the rookie

Lando Norris was warned of possible rain on lap 35, while Perez was told of a “risk of rain towards the end of the race”.

It left a number of drivers delaying their pit stops in the hopes of rain. But Mercedes took to the pits with Hamilton to try and undercut the Ferraris and Esteban Ocon ahead - but Ocon just managed to get back out in front of Hamilton.

Then, on lap 34, Lance Stroll was the victim of a bizarre overtake in a Red Bull sandwich. Stroll, down in 15th, moved to allow race leader Max Verstappen to overtake coming into the Swimming Pool complex.

But Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull - fighting for 15th, not the lead - also took the opportunity to sneak past.

Perez, seemingly illegally, cut the corner to overtake. But he did not give the place back, somehow claiming innocence for the incident. Perez roared: “What the f*** was that? Is that allowed? He pushed me off!”

However, Perez’s joy was short-lived. The Red Bull star than slammed into the rear of the Haas of Kevin Magnussen coming out of the chicane on the very next lap, causing signifcant damage to his front wing - and forcing him to come into the pits for a fresh wing.

Stewards then decided not to penalise Perez, since he gave the place back - even though it was far from deliberate.

Stroll pushed forwards and tried to get past the Haas of Kevin Magnussen for 14th, but their battle all race finally reached an inevitable conclusion, Stroll colliding with his rival and picking up damage to his front wing in the process.

Meanwhile, on lap 33, Esteban Ocon pitted from P3 but copped a slow stop and returned to the track only in P7 - his podium dream seemingly slipping away.

But after Carlos Sainz pitted in his Ferrari shortly afterwards, being told to pit for mediums to hold off Lewis Hamilton, he returned to the track once again behind the Alpine, causing the Spaniard to blow up deluxe at his Ferrari team in a fierce radio spray.

He fumed: “I don’t care about Hamilton!”

Rain began to fall around lap 50 of 78, but only very lightly at first. “Yeah it’s raining more and more,” George Russell said two laps later.

It began to fall heavily and things became frantic on the track. Sainz overtook Ocon through the chicanes after going straight through, but gave the fourth place straight back.

He wasn’t the only driver to run through the chicanes as the drivers struggled. Stroll and Bottas, down the bottom of the field, both went straight onto the intermediates ahead of their rivals..

“I have to drive super slow because my tyres are f***ed”, Verstappen bemoaned.

Alonso pitted from second after 54 laps for dry tyres. Russell in third followed immediately afterwards, while Esteban Ocon also darted into the pits - but for intermediates.

The rain began to spread across the track. Verstappen hit the barrier in the lead, but luckily was able to continue. He pitted for intermediates on lap 55.

And Sainz, in third, slid sideways into the barriers on lap 55! He lost third place to teammate Leclerc but was able to continue.

Alonso, still in second, then pitted just one lap later for intermediates. However, he was still able to return to the track in second position.

Ferrari finally pitted - a double stack - dropping down to sixth and eighth in a disastrous result for the Italian team, their late decision to pit costing them places to the Mercedes.

Stroll, meanwhile, banged into the walls - even while using the intermediate tyres - and saw his race ended after his front wing was trapped under the tyres.

That left Verstappen ahead of Alonso and Ocon, the three drivers in the lead.

Kevin Magnussen, the only driver to stay out on dry tyres, crashed into the barriers on lap 58 just one corner before pit lane, where he had been preparing to take on full wet tyres. Luckily, he was able to limp into the pits and continue.

Logan Sargeant also crashed, while in 17th, but was able to continue.

Magnussen then crashed on lap 60 while using wull wet tyres, and was immediately joined by an Aston Martin. Then Lance Stroll joined him in the run-off area, with the pair lucky to avoid colliding.

Mercedes’ George Russell, in fifth, then copped a five-second penalty for an unsafe rejoin to the track, for an incident where he ran off and came back onto the track only to collide with Sergio Perez in the Red Bull.

Somehow both cars were able to avoid major damage.

“It’s getting to the point it’s pretty dangerous out here,” Lewis Hamilton said as he lapped in fourth place.

The rain seemed to lessen with 15 laps remaining.


Posted by: AT 01:31 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
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