At the Formula 1 Monaco GP, there was great joy when the Monaco-born Ferrari Charles Leclerc drove to victory on his home track for the first time. Together with Leclerc, McLaren reached the podium Oscar Piastri and Ferrari Carlos Sainz.
In the World Series, the situation got tighter when Red Bull Max Verstappen was only six. The difference in points between the Dutchman and second-placed Leclerc is 31. Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas was the 13th
Urheilu’s F1 expert Jukka Mildh kick the talk of Monaco.
What speaks?
The Monaco track didn’t see a proper racing celebration this year either, as overtaking was almost impossible. As a topic of conversation, Mildh brings up the crashes of the opening lap, which aroused emotions.
The most spectacular of the crashes was Red Bull’s by Sergio Perez and Haas by Kevin Magnussen collision. In the same crash, another Haas driver who got hit in his car stopped Nico Hulkenberg.
The French drivers of the Alpine team Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly hit together. Gasly was able to continue his race, but Ocon’s race ended at the side of the track.
Magnussen hit the front of Perez’s car, and the Mexican driver’s car crashed violently into the wall.
Mildh feels that the crash had the ingredients for a much worse outcome.
– Some kind of accusation is going on as to whose fault it was. The slow-motion footage looked like Perez steered the car to the right and Magnussen was hit because of it. However, Magnussen should have relaxed, because we were only going to the third corner.
The F1 world saw to its dismay that Magnussen was the main culprit. The experienced Dane has shaken up the whole season with his over-aggressive driving style.
It is telling that Magnussen has accumulated 10 penalty points, while 12 points lead to a one-race ban. However, he got away without sanctions from his most recent debacle.
– If safety is considered, he should have taken his foot off the gas. Magnussen’s father (Jan) was an emotional driver. Kevin has similar traits. Magnussen would have received a suspension if this had resulted in penalty points.
Getting banned from racing in F1 is really rare. The last time this happened was in 2012, when Lotus Roman Grosjean’s the sanction account became full.
– For that, you have to make mistakes several times. It’s a security threat. Such a person does not belong to this level, Mildh calls.
Who flopped?
Magnussen could just as well be the disappointment of the race. However, Esteban Ocon, who crashed his car into Pierre Gasly, is put in this position.
The team made it clear that Ocon was specifically to blame. He and his French peer have had emaciation before.
Mildh goes so far in his assessments that the crash in question could have even cost Ocon a team place at Alpine. The French team’s season has been miserable and they desperately need points. Gasly managed to bring the team one point from the race in Monaco.
– Ocon’s greedy overtaking attempt in an absolutely wonderful place before the tunnel led to a collision with a teammate. It’s such a mistake that Ocon will probably be held accountable somehow. At worst, there is talk that his place in the team is threatened. In Monaco, with such stupid decisions, the value of the driver is set in a new situation, Mildh roars.
Who surprised?
As a surprise, Mildh picks up Williams by Alex Albon, who brought the team the first points of the season in ninth place. Albon, who recently signed an extension contract with the traditional team, is the team’s clear leading driver.
The F1 career of the driver, who once drove poorly at Red Bull, was even interrupted at one point.
– Williams’ car is clearly the weakest on the entire grid. Albon is an absolutely phenomenal driver and a natural talent that I think has been underestimated, says Mildh.
What about Bottas?
The speed of Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber was again miserable as usual. In qualifying, the Finn was 19th and team mate Zhou Guanu 20th, i.e. the last one.
In the race, Bottas managed to climb to 13th place while the others crashed. In the long term, it is worth noting that Bottas has beaten his Chinese partner in qualifying sessions this season 8–0.
It is a remarkable display from the Finn, who is without a contract for next season.
– In my opinion, Bottas has constantly raised his level. He can drive the race really well, but explosive speed and time trial performance are also needed. The fact that he is superior in the qualifying sessions compared to his teammate is a big sign.
However, Mildh adds that Bottas is in a situation where he is a kind of victim who is not being listened to for this season. With the upcoming Audi changes, there is a lot of turmoil within the organization. The investment is in the future and not in this season.
– We don’t want to end up with the same problem there as in the past, for example, at Toyota, which recruited 600 people during the year, of which maybe 20 percent were successful. Sauber is now making changes, which puts Bottas in a bad position. The car’s development pace has been slowed down significantly, Mildh reminds.
What next?
The F1 season continues in two weeks with the race in Montreal, Canada. Mildh predicts that Red Bull will return to the number one team there thanks to their straight pace.
However, with the development work of Ferrari and McLaren, the series is in a very interesting situation. It is significant that Red Bull’s lead over Ferrari is only 24 points in the Manufacturers’ World Championship situation.
It is often seen that the manufacturers’ championship is ultimately more important than the drivers’ title.
– The competition is intensifying considerably. A long season is still ahead, says Mildh.