Formula 1 in Monaco was a pure strategy race, as overtaking maneuvers were not possible on the track – the drivers had to slow down for this
The Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco was certainly not a treat for the fans, as there was hardly any action on the track. A crash at the start led to a red phase, but after the restart, all action in the narrow streets of the Principality fizzled out. In addition, some drivers drove very slowly to slow each other down
After the accident on the first lap, the teams were allowed to change their tires under the red flag. So there was only one way to make a difference in the race: make another stop when the pit stop window of around 20 seconds opened and then hope for a safety car.
Such a gap almost opened up when George Russell in the Mercedes wanted to finish the race on mediums and therefore took his foot off the gas. This left Lando Norris with a large window behind him. But Ferrari reacted quickly and instructed Charles Leclerc to drive at a conservative pace.
As a result, Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz became a shield for Leclerc, who went on to win the race. In addition, the gap between Norris and Russell remained consistently just under 19 seconds. McLaren had only one risky option, to bring Norris into the pits, but the team decided against it.
For Leclerc, the strategy almost proved fatal at some point due to his slower pace at Formula 2 level, as finding the balance in the Formula 1 car at this speed was not easy. We didn’t want to let the gap to Russell get too big,” he says. “I was very slow in the middle of the race.”
When he had to pick up the pace again, the reference points and the feeling for the limit of the car were gone. “Mistakes can happen quickly,” said Leclerc at his home race. “I just wanted to find my rhythm and drive faster again. But the team told me to slow down.”
Piastri was annoyed by the Italians’ strategy, as he criticized the fact that Formula 1 was slower than Formula 2 – in the region of 1:20 minutes. As a result, the entire race was all about defending possible undercuts and managing gaps. This was also the case for Yuki Tsunoda: “I have to stick to the strategy”. The Japanese rider also slowed down to keep the gaps so small that nobody could take any risks.
“That’s frustrating for a driver and not a nice feeling,” said Tsunoda, who is competing for Racing Bulls. “We talked about it before the race, I’m happy with my performance.” Tsunoda was so slow that Lewis Hamilton attempted an undercut against Max Verstappen – unsuccessfully. Alexander Albon was angry: “I could have driven a Vespa and ridden with him.”
Tsunoda showed just how strategic the drivers were: the Japanese driver set times of 1:18 to 1:20, then even burned a 1:14.7 into the asphalt. Albon: “That happened at the end of the race. We could have driven like that the whole time, but he decided against it. “
