Last year, Formula 1 implemented a mandatory two-stop strategy for the Monaco Grand Prix, hoping to “enhance the racing spectacle” at the sport’s biggest event.
While that didn’t provide the overtaking and strategy options the sport was hoping for, this year gave us a different way to achieve that goal.
Penalties, safety cars, retirements and more penalties.
But when the dust settled, Kimi Antonelli was back at the front of the field, taking his fifth consecutive Grand Prix victory by holding off Lewis Hamilton after a standing restart with just a handful of laps remaining.
A dizzying series of unexpected events, starting with Max Verstappen’s retirement almost immediately after the lights went out when his RB22 failed at the start, turned what appeared to be an easy path to the checkered flag for Antonelli into a chaotic affair over the final 20 laps. Lance Stroll found the wall on lap 60, bringing out the safety car and bringing the field closer to Antonelli at the front. And just as the race resumed, Charles Leclerc, who was running third, hit the wall right on the restart, triggering a second safety car and ending his day heartbroken at home once again.
But events were just beginning, when race officials called for a red flag, due to the track surface breaking up at Turn 19. The field pitted and the last restart in the history of the Monaco Grand Prix awaited.
If that wasn’t enough, there were several penalties that the race stewards had to resolve. Including an investigation into a handful of notable drivers for speeding in the pit lane, and whether some of the drivers who received a five-second penalty for that violation served those penalties correctly. That included George Russell, who received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, and did not appear to comply properly during the safety car caused by the Stroll incident.
Russell then received a drive-through penalty for failing to properly take the initial penalty, ending any chance of a podium finish for the Mercedes driver. Isack Hadjar, who was sitting in P3 during the red flag, was flagged for a safety car violation for failing to stay ten distances from the car in front of him, and the young driver had to sweat out a penalty investigation while waiting for the restart. Like Hamilton, for the same possible infraction.
When the restart was requested, the drivers in P2 to P5 (Hamilton, Hadjar, Russell and Pierre Gasly) were facing an investigation or another sanction to serve. Russell was facing a drive-through penalty, while Gasly needed to serve a pair of five-second pit lane speeding penalties.
Ultimately, both Hamilton and Hadjar were cleared of those potential violations before the restart.
The next big question? How would the reboot be handled? Would Rui Marque, F1 race director, ask for a rolling start or a standing start? The decision was entirely within his discretion.
Given the pristine conditions, Marque called for a standing start, putting pressure on Antonelli once again to secure his first victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. If there has been a weakness for Antonelli and Mercedes this season it has been at the beginning.
A real battle loomed from the finish line to win F1’s crown jewel, with Antonelli ready to duel the seven-time drivers’ champion in the closing laps.
The lights went out and Antonelli did just enough off the line to keep Hamilton at bay. Hadjar came off the line slow and dropped to fifth place, with Russell and Gasly sliding ahead of him, but both Russell and Gasly had penalties to take.
Then there was another incident, when Nico Hülkenberg made contact with Carlos Sainz Jr. at the hairpin, leaving the Williams driver out of the points and out of the race. Russell came in on lap 73 to serve his drive-through penalty, causing him to fall down the pecking order. He rejoined the fight in 14th position, as his chances of making the podium had faded.
At the front, Antonelli pulled away from Hamilton, posting the fastest lap of the race on lap 76, creating a five-second gap over Hamilton with just two laps remaining. Gasly was third, but still had a ten-second penalty to serve, which would be added to his time after the checkered flag. And with Hadjar facing another investigation for a possible red flag violation that would be decided after the race, Oscar Piastri in P5 was in position to make the podium.
But it was certainly Antonelli’s day, as he crossed the finish line ahead of Hamilton, who took his second consecutive runner-up finish with Ferrari. Hadjar was promoted to P3 at the end due to Gasly’s penalty, followed by Piastri, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, Gasly, Alexander Albon, Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon.
However, Hülkenberg received a ten-second penalty just after the checkered flag for the collision with Sainz, which promoted… Sergio Pérez to tenth position.
At least for the moment, as Pérez faced his own investigation for being out of his starting team at the restart.
If Pérez receives a penalty, Fernando Alonso would move up to tenth position.
The story, however, remains Antonelli. F1 has never seen a teenager win a drivers’ championship, but with the victory, the 19-year-old reached 156 points for the season. That puts him 66 points ahead of Hamilton, who moved into second place with 90 points.
“It was an incredible weekend, an incredible race and it was one of those days where we had incredible pace,” Antonelli told David Coulthard after the finish.
“It was a very pleasant day.”
As for Hamilton, it was his eighth podium in Monaco, equaling the mark set by the late Ayrton Senna.
“I think we have been making progress in the last few months, we can’t keep up [Mercedes] “At the moment… but getting another second place is a great feeling,” Hamilton said on track after the checkered flag.
