Monaco GP: Martin Brundle salutes ‘unbeatable’ Kimi Antonelli, rules out speeding penalties in F1 race | F1 News

F1 fans have been saying to me, ‘we’re thinking of going to Monaco, where should we get a grandstand seat and isn’t race day about following the leader?’

I have to say that I don’t know since I have been sitting in the grandstand seat for more than 40 years because I am in the pit and commentary boxes, but I want them to take in all the sights, sounds and the amazing atmosphere, and enjoy all the tracks that run on Friday and especially qualify on Saturday, usually the best of the year, and I hope to get the luck of the race on Sunday.

This year’s race gave us a full house in my opinion. The weather was perfect, he won as the last driver over the cliff-hanger, and it was one of the most chaotic races on Sunday, which was still playing more than two hours after the checkered flag.

It’s not often that I feel the need to study the final official results to make sure who finished where they just talked about without interruption for two and a half hours, but I did on this occasion.

Kimi Antonelli made fewer mistakes than all the other front runners despite his limited experience, and claimed the top position in sensational style. As the day of the race will show again, he has found a lot of speed to go with more speed and is in complete harmony with his car and the team. I thought he was going to make mistakes here and close the barrier at some point, but he was committed but precise and controlled.

The grid was as busy as ever and instructive in various ways, but all thoughts were on the short dash to the first corner. Kimi had Max Verstappen on his left who did a great job to get ahead of his Red Bull.

Behind him were two fast-starting Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, could this be too much pressure for the young man?

Not only that, he made a great start, he didn’t lock his front brakes in the first corner, then he played the race, making half a minute before the safety car was called when Lance Stroll crashed in the final turn on lap 60 of 78.

Antonelli just missed the pit stop and pitted on lap 61 but comfortably held onto the lead, which dwindled when the two Ferraris and the rest of the pack caught up behind that safety car.

‘Having punishments is more cruel’

There was a main theme throughout the race, which was speed on the pit lane. A number of drivers have been disappointed with that even just doing their test laps on the grid. It was a remarkable situation between the race director and the teams during practice.

Pit lane speed is measured by the distance between the various loops on the track, and as always drivers found their way into the pits early to save a meter or two. Due to stricter restrictions, the speed limit in Monaco was reduced from 80 kph to 60 kph. Although they did everything they should, the drivers were penalized 60.1 kph. Rules are rules because if that’s right, then 60.2 is an extra fraction and it should be good too. As when the car weighs less than a kilo, in F1 it is really brutal.

There were many of these minor offences, including five-second penalties for Hamilton and Oscar Piastri. But it would spoil George Russell’s race because during his pit stop under the Safety Car, the Mercedes team was obliged to issue his speed penalty of five seconds before starting to change tyres, and at the same time all the cars were obliged to enter the pit lane to allow the car that had crashed in the last corner to be removed.

There was confusion as he lined up behind his teammates and would receive a 20-second active penalty, which would have put him back in the combined field. An important stadium opportunity has been lost but I have no doubt that George will return to form and fortune.

It was undoubtedly very painful for Pierre Gasly in his Alpine who was furious and upset to receive two pit lane speed penalties 20 minutes apart, at 60.1 kph and 60.4 kph. He would cross the finish line in third place which would mean a trip to the podium, but 10 second penalties would drop him to seventh through no fault of his own. The team has sought a right of review, but I suspect that won’t change anything.

‘Antonelli won in great style’

‘Safety Cars create Safety Cars’ is an old saying and at the start of the Safety Car restart local hero Leclerc will crash into the same barrier as Stroll in the last corner of the lap and retire on the spot. He’s always convinced that it’s all about enduring brake problems, but the track was also breaking down on the way to that pit, so much so that a red flag was shown for race control to come out and check the tarmac.

After a few passes through the sweeper and some slow movement, it was announced that there would be a restart with a few sightings behind the Safety Car and then a stop and restart on the grid, as is now the norm unless conditions and visibility are poor.

Antonelli will now have Hamilton, who has been running well all race in second place next to him at the front. Once again, the young Italian presented well and just checked in front again. The youngest ever winner of the Monaco Grand Prix was looking for his fifth consecutive victory in great style, he was in the same class around Bukuru, with pole position, fastest lap, and leading every lap. You just get better…

Hamilton’s second place was timely and poured salt into Russell’s wound as it moved the Ferrari driver up to second in the world championship.

One of the biggest disappointments of the race was Verstappen’s poor start in the first 143 minutes. He would retire at the end of the first round, and we were all deprived of the opportunity to watch him try every trick in the book to get past Antonelli in the early stages, assuming he could continue.

Hadjar impresses with ‘wild Monaco weekend’

At sister Red Bull, Isack Hadjar would inherit Gasly’s final podium finish after a good run despite suffering power unit problems and numerous radio calls. He also survived two stewards’ questions about a potential car and a red flag violation, the latter of which the team began performing prohibited work on his car before abandoning that process. It was a great trip away from Isack.

Piastri will return home for a fourth time under the speed limit, but for speeding too slowly off the road. It was a sad day for McLaren who also lost Lando Norris to his second consecutive retirement due to power unit problems. The team is still confident about the upcoming developments and races.

Liam Lawson told me before the race that his car was unlikely to be fixed in time and his best condition was a pit start. However he made the grid and came home in an excellent fifth place. He was backed up by rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad in an equally impressive sixth place winning 18 points in what is a close-knit team of Racing Bulls.

There were five post-race penalties, one of which was for Sergio Perez in his Cadillac, which momentarily scored its first victory point. Strangely, Sergio had two first row penalties, in the first grid he started 16th instead of 18th as Gabriel Bortoleto was forced to start his Audi in the pit lane after stopping during practice, so he was not from 16th on the grid in front of Sergio’s right slot.

In the second start after the red flag, Perez was a bit too good for his grid position and took another penalty, putting him 15th out of 16.

Nico Hulkenberg was also in the points for Audi but took a penalty after the race for collecting behind Carlos Sainz’s Williams in a scrum at the hairpin. It was difficult but unavoidable due to events. Nico finished in 13th place.

Sainz was eliminated, which is a shame because Williams was looking to finish two points after using both their cars to synchronize to help create pit stop spaces by reducing the pack at the back. Alex Albon would at least finish in the points in eighth place.

Esteban Ocon was ninth but I don’t remember seeing much of him in the race, and with a bunch of penalties came Mr. The relentless Fernando Alonso scores Aston Martin’s first point of the season. I doubt he threw a big party though.

Stewards handled 30 cases and the final results came out before nine o’clock at night. That was one spectacular Monaco Grand Prix weekend, and Kimi Antonelli was calm and unbeaten throughout.

Formula 1 heads to Spain for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream Sky Sports NOW – no contract, cancel anytime