Monaco Grand Prix: Driver Ratings

Monaco GP

Monaco Grand Prix: Driver Ratings

Who got top marks?

Matthew Scott

Wednesday 29 May 2019 13:00 Updated: 17:52

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Mercedes' run of one-two finishes might have ended at the Monaco Grand Prix but the story wasn't entirely unfamiliar, as Lewis Hamilton won from pole around the streets of Monte Carlo. Hamilton had to fight off incessant pressure from Max Verstappen, whose efforts were not rewarded with a podium.

Hamilton battled wearing tyres and the Red Bull on his gearbox for over 50 laps to take his third win at the famous street race.

Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas joined Hamilton on the podium after Verstappen was punished for an unsafe pit release, while Charles Leclerc endured yet another home race to forget.

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Matt Scott has run the rule over all 20 drivers in action. Let us know if you agree, or not, with the scores on Facebook and Twitter!

Charles Leclerc (Qual: 16th - Race: DNF) 5/10

Let down badly by Ferrari in qualifying as he went out in Q1, Leclerc took an all-or-nothing approach to the race which ultimately backfired when he tried to squeeze by Nico Hulkenberg at La Rascasse, puncturing his right-rear tyre in the process and shredding his floor along the subsequent three-wheeled lap. Better days must be on the horizon in Leclerc's home race, they can't get much worse than the four DNFs from as many outings across F2 and F1.

Antonio Giovinazzi (Qual: 15th - Race: 19th) 3/10

Alfa Romeo struggled all weekend, but finishing plum last, a lap behind the rest of the field, isn't a good look for Giovinazzi, who took a 10-second time penalty for spinning Robert Kubica at La Rascasse – an incident that almost caused a stereotypical Monaco traffic jam.

Robert Kubica (Qual: 20th - Race: 18th) 5/10

Got through the race which was expected to be his most difficult physically and finished somewhere other than last on the road for the first time, although that was perhaps more down to Giovinazzi's failings, Kubica still kept the Alfa behind for several laps.

Kimi Raikkonen (Qual: 14th - Race: 17th) 4/10

Undone by several collisions with Lance Stroll, who took a bashing over the airwaves from the Finn. Raikkonen insisted he wanted his 300th grand prix entry to pass without celebration, this result probably made sure of that!

Lance Stroll (Qual 18th - Race: 16th) 4/10

The Canadian's run of Q1 eliminations is now at 10, although it appeared throughout the weekend that the racing Point car was perhaps not best suited to the Monaco circuit. That the stewards saw fit to let his incidents with Raikkonen pass without punishment suggests the veteran's fury towards Stroll may not have been so just.

George Russell (Qual: 19th - Race: 15th) 6/10

Russell may well have secured Williams' best result of 2019 by finishing ahead of three cars other than his team-mate this year. Was a big benefactor from Giovinazzi spinning Kubica, an incident he was able to skirt by and continue on his way.

Really pleased with that - P15 on merit! Pushed flat out from start to finish which was mega fun on this circuit ?#F1 #MonacoGP ?? @WilliamsRacing pic.twitter.com/uF6yl4k1pl
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) May 26, 2019

Kevin Magnussen (Qual: 6th - Race: 14th) 6/10

Sensational in qualifying, shafted in the race, a huge case of what might have been for K-Mag. Having taken best of the rest honours on Saturday, Magnussen dropped a place to Daniel Ricciardo off the line, but both lost out big time by pitting early under the Leclerc-prompted safety car and spent so long behind a slow-moving Raikkonen that several places were lost.

Nico Hulkenberg (Qual: 11th - Race: 13th) 5/10

Might have been on for a few points were it not for Leclerc puncturing him in an overtake at La Rascasse that certainly places in the 'bold' category. Hulkenberg's only points-score this year came in Australia and he has finished the last three races outside the points. Renault's upcoming updates will be crucial for the German.

Sergio Perez (Qual: 17th - Race: 12th) 5/10

Made up some good places, but started far too far back to make an impression in this race. Caught some headlines for a scary near-miss with two stewards during the safety car period, in which the Mexican had to react fast in order to avoid running them over.

Lando Norris (Qual: 12th - Race: 11th) 5/10

A quiet race for Norris, who ended playing an important role in team-mate Carlos Sainz's impressive points haul, by holding up a number of rivals who might have made it back ahead of the Spaniard, were it not for the rookie's low pace.

Romain Grosjean (Qual: 13th - Race: 10th) 5/10

Made his way into the points thanks to a monstrous 50-lap stint on soft tyres to start the race and would've had an extra point if not for crossing the pit-lane line on exit from his service.

Daniel Ricciardo (Qual: 7th - Race: 9th) 5/10

Benefitted from Grosjean's error to score a couple of points but that was scant consolation for the Australian, who might have had hopes of finishing fifth after getting by Magnussen at Turn 1 on the opening lap. Ricciardo later admitted he was concerned for his race as soon as he was called in, and it turned out those fears were justified as he dropped way down the order.

Alexander Albon (Qual: 10th - Race: 8th) 7/10

Magnussen and Ricciardo clearing themselves out of position benefitted the next three drivers in the main, with Albon getting a good reward for his first trip to the top-10 shootout in qualifying.

Daniil Kvyat (Qual: 8th - Race: 7th) 7/10

Kvyat's impressive season continues and he might have had even better were it not for Carlos Sainz's lap-one brilliance.

Carlos Sainz (Qual: 9th - Race: 6th) 8/10

Pulled off an absolutely stupendous opening-lap move on both Albon and Kvyat up the hill to Le Massenet and then around the third corner of the track. Then held the pace to consolidate the gained places as Magnussen and Ricciardo struggled in traffic.

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“Definitely one of my best overtakes.” @carlossainz55 with a MOVE at Turn 3 ??? . #MonacoGP #CarlosSainz #F1 #Formula1 #McLaren @mclaren

A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) on May 26, 2019 at 10:56am PDT

Pierre Gasly (Qual: 5th - Race: 5th) 6/10

Dropped places on the grid after blocking Grosjean in Q2, something the Haas driver exonerated his fellow Frenchman over. Gasly made his way back through the midfield runners ahead of him and also took the fastest lap of the race – about as much as could have been asked of him.

Max Verstappen (Qual: 3rd - Race: 4th) 9/10

The Dutchman can't be blamed for the penalty picked up for an unsafe pit release – when the team says go, a driver must go. For him to have kept such intense pressure on Hamilton for as long as he did, without a costly error spoiling his and the Mercedes man's efforts, shows the Dutchman's maturity is matching his talent. Had Hamilton cracked under that pressure – many would have – then he might have capitalised big time. A fine response after last year's low point at this race.

Valtteri Bottas Qual: 2nd - Race: 3rd) 7/10

Bottas was a tenth of a second away from having the race that his team-mate had, with Hamilton just pipping the Finn at the very last in qualifying. Jumped by Verstappen in the pits, and then punctured in contact with the wall, Bottas was perhaps lucky to only lose one place as a result and couldn't make an impression on Sebastian Vettel ahead.

Sebastian Vettel (Qual: 4th - Race: 2nd) 7/10

Miles off the pace in qualifying, Vettel can't have been expecting to leave Monaco with a second-place finish – maybe he wasn't expecting a podium at all. However, he kept his nose clean and briefly looked in position to take victory as Verstappen's pressure on Hamilton had the Mercedes driver thinking about a potential pit-stop. Still, Canada must be better for team and driver.

Lewis Hamilton (Qual: 1st - Race: 1st) 9/10

On the wrong tyre, with one of the most fearsome of his rivals inches from his gearbox for more than an hour, Hamilton's stubbornness and skill came to the fore in one of his greatest battling drives. The anguish in Hamilton's radio messages grew as the race went on, but he kept it together to take an emotional victory that served as a fitting tribute to Niki Lauda, Mercedes' non-executive chairman who passed away aged 70 in the week before.