The Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco, the seventh race of the season, started chaotically with the rain successively delaying the start of the race, and ended with a controversial victory for Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull).
The race ended up being shortened to 64 laps, because, in addition to being one hour and five minutes late at the start due to the heavy rain that hit the Principality, an accident suffered by the German Mick Schumacher (Haas), who broke the car literally at the halfway after hitting the side protections, forced a new 20-minute stop to restore the safety of the city circuit.
Pérez ended up 1.154 seconds ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and 1.141 over his teammate, Dutch champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull).
The loser of the day turned out to be the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who, racing at home and starting from pole position, was relegated to fourth position after a mistake by Ferrari in choosing the moment to stop in the ‘ boxes’ to change tires.
The controversy raged with the stoppages of the two Red Bulls, as on their return to the track, it appeared that both had stepped on the yellow line that delimits the place where the pilots leaving the ‘boxes’ should enter the track.
The racing direction did not comment and, in the end, Ferrari presented a double protest, which could cost Sergio Pérez his third career victory, his first of the season.
Max Verstappen, who this afternoon won three points from Leclerc and cemented his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, could also lose out on the day’s gains.
At stake could be a five-second penalty for each driver, which would mean falling behind the two Ferraris.
“For us it is more than evident”, maintained the Italian Mattia Binoto, director of Ferrari.
Britain’s George Russell was once again the best of the Mercedes, in fifth position (which he has held three times in the seven races already contested), while Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) did not go beyond eighth place, behind Lando Norris (McLaren) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine).
The former world champion complained during the race that Alonso was too slow and the Asturian responded at the end. “It’s not my problem,” shot Alonso.
With the rain starting with the cars lined up on the grid, there was fear of a repeat of what happened at the Belgian GP last year, in which the drivers took just two laps behind the ‘safety car’.
However, this time the rain stopped, but the water caused a power problem that affected the luminous panels on the home straight, so the race direction chose to make launches whenever necessary, that is, when the start of the race and the restart after Schumacher’s accident (no physical consequences for the driver despite the apparatus), on lap 29.
For now, Verstappen has reached 125 points in the championship, nine more than Leclerc, who has 116. Sergio Perez is now third, with 110.
The next round will be played on June 12, in Azerbaijan.
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