2019 Monaco Grand Prix Explained

Type:F1
Country:Monaco
Grand Prix:Monaco
Previous Round:2019 Spanish Grand Prix
Next Round:2019 Canadian Grand Prix
Image Link:Monte Carlo Formula 1 track map.svg
Image-Size:200px
Date:26 May
Year:2019
Official Name:Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2019
Race No:6
Season No:21
Location:Circuit de Monaco
La Condamine and Monte Carlo, Monaco
Course:Street circuit
Course Mi:2.074
Course Km:3.337
Distance Laps:78
Distance Mi:161.734
Distance Km:260.286
Weather:Overcast
Pole Driver:Lewis Hamilton
Pole Team:Mercedes
Pole Time:1:10.166
Pole Country:GBR
Fast Driver:Pierre Gasly
Fast Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda
Fast Time:1:14.279
Fast Lap:72
Fast Country:FRA
First Driver:Lewis Hamilton
First Team:Mercedes
First Country:GBR
Second Driver:Sebastian Vettel
Second Team:Ferrari
Second Country:GER
Third Driver:Valtteri Bottas
Third Team:Mercedes
Third Country:FIN

The 2019 Monaco Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2019) was a Formula One motor race held on 26 May 2019 at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the Principality of Monaco. It was the 6th round of the 2019 Formula One World Championship, the 77th time that the Monaco Grand Prix was held, and the 66th time it had been held as a round of the Formula One World Championship since the inception of the series in .

The race was won by Lewis Hamilton after starting from pole, with Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas promoted to second and third place respectively after Max Verstappen received a penalty, demoting him to fourth place.[1]

Background

Championship standings before the race

Heading into the race Lewis Hamilton held a 7-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas in the Drivers' Championship. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes held a 96-point advantage over Ferrari.[2]

Entrants

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for either the race or practice.[3] This race saw Alfa Romeo driver Kimi Räikkönen celebrate his 300th Grand Prix entry.[4]

Events preceding the race

On 20 May, less than a week before the race, three-time world champion Niki Lauda died at the age of 70, after a long period of ill health.[5] All teams had since paid tribute to Lauda on the weekend, with Mercedes, whom Lauda had been a key personnel, paid the highest tributes by painting their halos red and including a red three-pointed star on the engine cover on their cars until the remainder of the season.[6]

Qualifying

During the first qualifying session, Nico Hülkenberg was blocked on his first flying lap by Antonio Giovinazzi at turn 17. Giovinazzi was later handed a three-place grid penalty. Around halfway through the session, after most drivers had come into the pits, Charles Leclerc had set the sixth fastest time. However, Ferrari decided not to send him out again in order to save tyres. As other drivers began to improve their lap times, Leclerc fell down the order and was eventually eliminated from Q1 by teammate Sebastian Vettel, the last driver to cross the line. Ferrari later admitted this was a team mistake.[7] Vettel's final lap was the fastest of the session.

In the second qualifying session, Pierre Gasly impeded Romain Grosjean, and was later given a three-place grid penalty. Max Verstappen set the fastest time of the session.

Lewis Hamilton took pole position with a new track record ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas. As a result, Mercedes equalled the record for most front row lockouts, and Hamilton took the record for most pole positions with one constructor. Max Verstappen qualified in third, his highest qualifying position of the year.[8] [9] [10]

Qualifying classification

DriverConstructor
Q1Q2Q3
144data-sort-value="HAM" Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:11.5421:10.8351:10.1661
277data-sort-value="BOT" Valtteri BottasMercedes1:11.5621:10.7011:10.2522
333data-sort-value="VER" Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda1:11.5971:10.6181:10.6413
45data-sort-value="VET" Sebastian VettelFerrari1:11.4341:11.2271:10.9474
510data-sort-value="GAS" Pierre GaslyRed Bull Racing-Honda1:11.7401:11.4571:11.0418
620data-sort-value="MAG" Kevin MagnussenHaas-Ferrari1:11.8651:11.3631:11.1095
73data-sort-value="RIC" Daniel RicciardoRenault1:11.7671:11.5431:11.2186
826data-sort-value="KVY" Daniil KvyatScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda1:11.6021:11.4121:11.2717
955data-sort-value="SAI" Carlos Sainz Jr.McLaren-Renault1:11.8721:11.6081:11.4179
1023data-sort-value=ALB" Alexander AlbonScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda1:12.0071:11.4291:11.65310
1127data-sort-value="HUL" Nico HülkenbergRenault1:12.0971:11.670N/A11
124data-sort-value="NOR" Lando NorrisMcLaren-Renault1:11.8451:11.724N/A12
138data-sort-value="GRO" Romain GrosjeanHaas-Ferrari1:11.8371:12.027N/A13
147data-sort-value="RAI" Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari1:11.9931:12.115N/A14
1599data-sort-value="GIO"Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari1:11.9761:12.185N/A18
1616data-sort-value="LEC" Charles LeclercFerrari1:12.149N/AN/A15
1711data-sort-value="PER" Sergio Pérez1:12.233N/AN/A16
1818data-sort-value="STR" Lance StrollRacing Point-BWT Mercedes1:12.846N/AN/A17
1963data-sort-value="RUS" George RussellWilliams-Mercedes1:13.477N/AN/A19
2088data-sort-value"KUB" Robert KubicaWilliams-Mercedes1:13.751N/AN/A20
107% time

1:16.434

Source:[11] [12]
Notes

Race

Before the race started, there was a moment of silence to pay respects to Lauda, with the majority of personnel and fans wearing red caps.

The opening lap proceeded cleanly, with Lewis Hamilton maintaining his lead from pole position. Charles Leclerc began to fight through the field after starting in 15th place. Leclerc had made it up to 12th by lap eight, but touched the inside wall at turn 17 during an overtake attempt on Nico Hülkenberg, sending his Ferrari into a spin. This contact caused a right-rear tyre puncture. Over the course of the next lap, Leclerc fell to last place as his tyre ripped apart and caused significant damage to the car's floor, spreading debris around the track. After emerging from the pits after a tyre change, he was a lap down on the leaders. A safety car was deployed on lap 11 for the marshals to clear the debris.

The leaders made their pit stops at the end of the lap, during the safety car period. Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel entered the pits all within one car length of each other. Verstappen's pit stop was faster than Bottas's, and Verstappen was released alongside, but slightly ahead of Bottas, with the two cars making contact. Bottas had no choice but to yield at the pit exit, losing second place to Verstappen. Bottas was brought into the pits again on the following lap for a switch from medium to hard-compound tyres and for the team to check for damage, emerging in fourth place behind Vettel.

Racing resumed on lap 15. On the same lap, Antonio Giovinazzi attempted an overtake on Robert Kubica at turn 17, making contact and sending the Williams into a spin. Kubica's car stopped whilst facing sideways at the exit of the turn, blocking the circuit and forcing Giovinazzi, Hülkenberg, Leclerc, Sergio Pérez and George Russell to stop on track and wait for him to move aside so that they could pass Kubica. Leclerc came into the pits on the following lap for a switch to soft-compound tyres, but on his out-lap, Ferrari decided that the floor damage caused by his lap eight incident was too great. Leclerc returned to the pits and retired from the race, continuing his streak of failing to finish his home Grand Prix, after retiring from the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and from both races at the 2017 Monaco Formula 2 round.

On lap 22, Verstappen was issued a five-second time penalty for his unsafe release in the pits ten laps earlier. On lap 26, Giovinazzi was issued a penalty of ten seconds for causing the incident on lap 15. He later served his penalty in the pits. Verstappen spent the rest of the race attempting to overtake Hamilton, who was suffering on worn tyres, in order to build a lead and win the race despite his penalty. On lap 76, Verstappen mounted his only close challenge of the race, on the inside of turn 10. He made contact with the rear of the Mercedes, causing both cars to cut the chicane. Verstappen was unable to get close enough for an overtake on the subsequent laps, and Hamilton crossed the finish line to take victory. Verstappen's penalty saw him demoted from second to fourth, with Vettel and Bottas promoted to second and third respectively. This marked the sixth consecutive victory in 2019 for Mercedes, but the first time that season that the team did not take a 1–2 finish. Completing the top ten were Gasly (who set the fastest lap of the race), Sainz, Kvyat, Albon, Ricciardo and Grosjean (who was penalized from 9th), both Toro Rosso cars finishing in the points for the first time since the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix, and their best finish since the 2015 United States Grand Prix.[13]

Race classification

DriverConstructorTime/RetiredPoints
144data-sort-value="HAM" Lewis HamiltonMercedes781:43:28.437125
25data-sort-value="VET" Sebastian VettelFerrari78+2.602418
377data-sort-value="BOT" Valtteri BottasMercedes78+3.162215
433data-sort-value="VER" Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda78+5.537312
510data-sort-value="GAS" Pierre GaslyRed Bull Racing-Honda78+9.946811
655data-sort-value="SAI" Carlos Sainz Jr.McLaren-Renault78+53.45498
726data-sort-value="KVY" Daniil KvyatScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda78+54.57476
823data-sort-value="ALB" Alexander AlbonScuderia Toro Rosso-Honda78+55.200104
93data-sort-value="RIC" Daniel RicciardoRenault78+1:00.89462
108data-sort-value="GRO" Romain GrosjeanHaas-Ferrari78+1:01.034131
114data-sort-value="NOR" Lando NorrisMcLaren-Renault78+1:06.80112
1211data-sort-value="PER" Sergio PérezRacing Point-BWT Mercedes77+1 lap16
1327data-sort-value="HUL" Nico HülkenbergRenault77+1 lap11
1420data-sort-value="MAG" Kevin MagnussenHaas-Ferrari77+1 lap5
1563data-sort-value="RUS" George RussellWilliams-Mercedes77+1 lap19
1618data-sort-value="STR" Lance Stroll77+1 lap17
177data-sort-value="RAI" Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari77+1 lap14
1888data-sort-value="KUB" Robert KubicaWilliams-Mercedes77+1 lap20
data-sort-value="19" 1999data-sort-value="GIO" Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari76+2 laps18
data-sort-value="20" 16data-sort-value="LEC" Charles LeclercFerrari1615
Fastest lap

Pierre Gasly (Red Bull Racing-Honda) – 1:14.279 (lap 72)

Source:[14] [15]
Notes

Championship standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
DriverPoints
1 Lewis Hamilton137
2 Valtteri Bottas120
1382
14 Max Verstappen78
5 Charles Leclerc57
Source:[16]
Constructors' Championship standings
ConstructorPoints
1 Mercedes257
2 Ferrari139
3 Red Bull Racing-Honda110
4 McLaren-Renault30
517
Source:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lewis Hamilton holds Max Verstappen at bay to win Monaco Grand Prix. 26 May 2019. The Guardian. 27 May 2019.
  2. Web site: Spain 2019 – Championship . StatsF1. 1 June 2019.
  3. Web site: 2019 Monaco Grand Prix – Entry List . Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . 22 May 2019 . 22 May 2019.
  4. Web site: Raikkonen at 300: Break for rallying key to long F1 career. 22 May 2019. Formula1.com. 23 May 2019.
  5. Web site: Three-time F1 world champion Niki Lauda passes away Formula 1. 19 May 2021. www.formula1.com. en.
  6. News: 24 May 2019. Here Are The Niki Lauda Tributes Teams And Drivers Are Running This Weekend. 19 May 2021. WTF1. en-US.
  7. Web site: Ferrari admit they misjudged the cut-off qualifying time for Leclerc. Formula1.com. 1 June 2019.
  8. News: Monaco Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton beats Valtteri Bottas to pole position as Ferrari struggle. 25 May 2019. 1 June 2019.
  9. Web site: Monaco . StatsF1. 1 June 2019.
  10. Web site: Monaco Grand Prix: Qualifying Facts and Stats. Formula1.com. 1 June 2019.
  11. Web site: Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2019 – Qualifying. 25 May 2019. Formula1.com. 25 May 2019.
  12. Web site: Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2019 – Starting Grid. Formula1.com. 28 May 2019.
  13. Web site: Monaco Grand Prix: Race facts and stats Formula 1. 19 May 2021. www.formula1.com. en.
  14. Web site: Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2019 – Race Result. Formula1.com. 26 May 2019.
  15. Web site: Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2019 – Fastest Laps. Formula1.com. 28 May 2019.
  16. Web site: Monaco 2019 – Championship. StatsF1. 26 May 2019.