Only once between 2004 and 2014 did the driver exiting Sainte Devote on the opening lap at the Monaco Grand Prix at the head of the field not go on to hoist aloft the victor’s trophy. But across the past three years the driver on pole position – and who converted that into the lead – has not triumphed. Motorsport Week reflects on how an event castigated as processional and clear-cut has not fitted the narrative in recent seasons.
2015 – Computer says oh…
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Lewis Hamilton was irked by Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg’s dubious qualifying mistake in 2014 that ultimately dictated the grid order and eventual race classification. But in 2015 he was dominant, laying down a pole time three-tenths faster than Rosberg, and went on to control most of the race, opening a near 20-second lead. Then Max Verstappen’s impressive race came to an abrupt end when he clipped Romain Grosjean into Sainte Devote and careered into the barriers, necessitating the use of the Safety Car.
Hamilton and his engineers discussed their strategy and the Briton was wary that his nearest rivals may take on fresh tyres. Mercedes believed Hamilton had a sufficient buffer over Rosberg and Vettel to safely make a stop – but the team was wrong. The accuracy of the GPS in Monaco is compromised by the busy urban environment while Mercedes’ own computers also glitched – while catching the Safety Car in the final sector also cost Hamilton more time than predicted. A bemused Hamilton emerged from the pits in third position and immediately acknowledged that the race that he had previously controlled was now lost. Rosberg reeled off the remaining seven laps post-Safety Car to secure a hat-trick of wins. A devastated Hamilton stopped on the slow-down lap before touring to the podium – a place he clearly did not want to be.
Mercedes accepted responsibility for the error and Rosberg acknowledged that his team-mate had been superior throughout the weekend – though only one left with the gold trophy.
2016 – “Where’s the f**ing tyres!”
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Daniel Ricciardo was breathtakingly brilliant in Monaco in 2016, taking advantage of the reduced reliance on engine power – and Red Bull’s aero – to take his first career pole. When heavy rain fell on race day it threw a spanner into the works but Ricciardo cruised clear as third-placed Hamilton was stuck behind Rosberg, the points leader struggling in the conditions.
Mercedes instructed Rosberg to cede position and he graciously obliged, unleashing Hamilton – by which time Ricciardo had amassed a near 15-second advantage. As the circuit dried the field stopped for Intermediates – though Hamilton cannily stayed out on Full Wets, picking up the lead from Ricciardo. The Australian carved his deficit to Hamilton as the Mercedes’ Full Wets cried their last – and he stopped on Lap 31 of 78 for slicks, unleashing Ricciardo, who on Intermediates continued to set strong pace, while Hamilton got his dry rubber up to temperature. Ricciardo was called in one lap later but he suffered an agonising nine-second delay as his tyres were not ready. How had such a mistake occurred? The confined nature of the pit garages in Monaco meant Red Bull could have only one batch of tyres in an easily-available position, and had opted for Softs, only to change that decision and plump for Supersofts – which were at the rear of the garage. Mechanics scrambled to retrieve the Supersofts but Ricciardo came into the pits before the mission had been completed. Ricciardo emerged from the pits a mere second behind Hamilton – whose mistake into the chicane subsequently gave Ricciardo a half-chance – but their order was maintained until the chequered flag.
A justifiably furious Ricciardo barely contained his emotions post-race and Red Bull offered its apologies, while race victor Hamilton could sympathise with Ricciardo’s plight on account of his own misfortune 12 months beforehand – not that it helped Ricciardo’s feeling.
2017: Ferrari’s favourable 1-2…
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Kimi Raikkonen topped a tightly-contested qualifying session to claim his first pole position in nine years as Sebastian Vettel capped a Ferrari front-row lockout, and their spots were maintained through the first stint of the race. Vettel remained around a second behind Raikkonen for much of the battle – with third-placed Valtteri Bottas a looming threat, but not a serious thorn in Ferrari’s side. Raikkonen pitted on lap 33 of 78 for his sole stop, switching from Ultrasofts to Supersofts, while Vettel stayed out and set a sequence of rapid times – including the quickest two of the races on successive laps prior to his stop on lap 38. Raikkonen’s pace was also strong, but in a battle where the margins were tight, Vettel’s lead grew from 19.2 seconds to 20.1s across the crucial stint of the race – while Vettel’s stop was also half a second faster than that of his team-mate.
Vettel emerged from the pits a couple of seconds ahead and reeled off the remaining laps to triumph – prompting discussion as to whether the result had been engineered by Ferrari.
Raikkonen’s pit stop dropped him into some traffic, while Vettel was afforded free air at a race where Pirelli had said tyre wear was not going to be a major issue. It was six of one, half a dozen of the other – Ferrari had provided Vettel with the opportunity to triumph and he grasped it with both hands. It was the favoured outcome for Ferrari in light of Vettel’s then-close title fight with rival Hamilton. Raikkonen’s post-race demeanour, though, spoke volumes.
Therefore to any driver who leads away into Sainte Devote this year – it’s not over ‘till it’s over.
