Team Talk – 2024 Monaco Grand Prix

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The Monaco Grand Prix is a key race within the Formula 1 Calendar and today, we had the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix which saw Charles Leclerc win, making him the first Monegasque to bring the win home.

Whilst we will be covering the start of the race in the next article, for those of us watching the race live – we saw Perez and Magnussen come together on the first lap – with them clipping Hulkenberg who tried to make his way past the impact.

On the first lap, we also say Ocon and Gasly come together but both of these incidents, we’ll be covering in the next article but no one can say that it the race didn’t have a good start!

For now, let’s take a look at the team talk from race day – from the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.

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Ferrari

Charles Leclerc made a great start and was able to change his tyres under the red flag. This means that he was able to finish the race without having to pit – controlling the race and being told to “slow down” by the team throughout the race.

Carlos Sainz also had a good race and backed up the driver points, in P3 – bringing home a good result for the team, overall.

If we focus on the start of the race, Carlos Sainz did pick up a puncture following contact with Oscar Piastri and was incredibly lucky with the red flag – allowing the team to change tyres for his car and re-join the race after the red flag.

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Charles Leclerc – 1st

“I can’t really explain how I feel. The race seemed to go on for ever, but maybe that made it even nicer. Winning here means so much to me, because it’s the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver when I was little. So I want to thank the people of Monaco, on the lap of honour I saw so many people on the balconies and I thank all of them for their incredible support.I can’t really explain how I feel. The race seemed to go on for ever, but maybe that made it even nicer. Winning here means so much to me, because it’s the race that made me dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver when I was little. So I want to thank the people of Monaco, on the lap of honour I saw so many people on the balconies and I thank all of them for their incredible support.

“Over the last few laps it was difficult because you start to pray nothing’s going to happen and I could feel the emotion growing in me and I realised I was almost losing concentration on my driving. I was thinking a lot about my father, about everything he did to ensure that I was here today and I was also thinking of Jules. Winning this race was a dream we all had and I dedicate the win to them. We had to do a lot of tyre management, also managing the gap to George (Russell) to make sure the McLarens couldn’t get a free pit stop, so mentally it was quite draining. I have to thank the team for doing an exceptional job over the past few months and for helping me to win this race. I can’t wait to celebrate with all of them and the rest of the team as soon as I get to Maranello.”

Carlos Sainz – 3rd

“Was a very tactical race. I had a very good first start off the line, to the point that I was side by side with Oscar (Piastri) into turn 1 and I went for the inside gap. We touched, I got a puncture and I thought that was it. Fortunately for me, the big accident behind meant I could restart from P3 and thankfully everyone was OK. It was a very tactical race. I had a very good first start off the line, to the point that I was side by side with Oscar (Piastri) into turn 1 and I went for the inside gap. We touched, I got a puncture and I thought that was it. Fortunately for me, the big accident behind meant I could restart from P3 and thankfully everyone was OK.

“For the restart we had new Hard tyres and it was just a matter of managing the pace until the end and making sure Lando didn’t have a window to pit. Once this was achieved, I tried to overtake Oscar during the last laps but it’s simply too difficult if you are on the same strategy as the car ahead. I’m very happy for Charles! Winning your home race is something every driver dreams of and it was good to be able to celebrate with him on the podium!”

Fred Vasseur – Team Principal

“The perfect weekend and one to remember for Charles, having had a couple of tough races in the past here in Monaco. He was flying from lap 1 in FP1 and he did the perfect job. The race itself was a bit strange because after the red flag, we had to manage 77 laps on the same set of tyres.

“He was always in control of the situation and a couple of times, he asked us if he could push more, but we couldn’t give him green light. Carlos also drove a very solid race and played an important part in this win, helping us control the gaps behind, doing a fantastic job for the team. At the moment, we are all pushing very hard, there is a very good dynamic in the whole team with everyone working in the right direction. We mustn’t get carried away, we have to stay focused, but this win is a huge motivation for everyone, at the track and also of course at the factory where everyone has done a great job.

“This was a very special day, you could see the emotion from all the team members around the podium. Now we must already think about doing a good job again, a better one even, in Canada.”

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McLaren

Oscar Piastri – 2nd

“That was a tricky race. The pace at the beginning was incredibly slow. I had half a look before the tunnel but didn’t have a car small enough to fit through the gap. Thanks to the whole team who have worked so hard. It’s been a great weekend all around, and what better place to get a result like that than Monaco. It’s special to achieve a podium in Senna’s colours, too, given his incredible record around these streets.”

Lando Norris – 4th

“A good team result. A lot of points on the board, which is exactly what we wanted. But as we expected, there were no opportunities to move forward, especially after the Red Flag at the beginning. It was unlucky that we got put down to fourth again after the first start, that would have been lovely! But there wasn’t a lot we could do on a day like today. We stayed in there, got good points for the team, and that’s the main thing.”

Andrea Stella – Team Principal

“Hats off to Ferrari and Charles Leclerc, they’ve been quick all weekend and deserved the victory. For us, well done to the entire team for delivering a fast car, and to the trackside team, for being always on the ball, managing some intense operational moments this weekend – from clearing Lando’s car of debris during Qualifying, to dealing with a difficult Red Flag situation today. It’s an important result here in Monaco, with Oscar scoring an impressive podium and Lando right behind on a circuit that we weren’t certain would suit our car. It’s a lot of points – but also evidence that we can be regular contenders for the podium. We look at the coming races with optimism.”

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Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton – 7th

“There have been plenty of encouraging signs from our performance this weekend. The team has worked so hard to bring updates to the car and we’ve got more to come across the next few races. We have taken a step forward with the car and, if we can continue to make a few more, then we can hopefully get ourselves into the fight with the three teams ahead of us.

“The race today was non-eventful. Everyone was managing their pace after the red flag and ultimately, whatever tyre you were on, you could make it to the end. That took away our options of making forward progress which was frustrating. I’m looking forward to going to Canada and seeing what we can do there.”

George Russell – 5th

“That was the best race of our season so far. We had good pace and were able to show that near the end, despite being on 70-lap old Medium tyres. We were closing on the top four at the end and only finished a handful of seconds off P1. There are plenty of positives to take from the weekend as a whole.

“We spent a lot of time this morning going through all the strategy options. When we lined up on the grid, and everyone ahead was on the Medium compound, I was very happy. That looked even better when Carlos (Sainz) stopped on the opening lap. The red flag came out though and made our lives more difficult! I spent the first 30 laps taking it easy and in the end, I was able to keep the tyres in a good place and get to the end. Max (Verstappen) put me under a bit of pressure at the end but it was all pretty controlled.”

Toto Wolff – Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

“Overall, we’ve had a positive weekend. We were much closer than we have been in Qualifying so far this year and showed good pace throughout the race. That was despite the first lap red flag which took away many of our strategy options. We opted to switch to the Medium compound tyres under that red flag and both George and Lewis did a good job to manage them throughout. Lewis didn’t need to make a stop, but we were able to box him and secure the point for fastest lap.

“The trajectory is going in the right direction. We’ve understood where we need to improve the balance car and we’re bringing updates to enhance that. We know there will be ups and downs depending on the circuits we go to but overall, I am happy with the development direction. Let’s see how we perform in Canada.”

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Red Bull

It wasn’t a good race for Red Bull with Sergio Perez being involved in the incident that has everyone talking during the first lap (with Magnussen).

On the other hand, his team-mate, Max Verstappen managed to maintain his car and looked in happy spirits at the end of the race bring the car home in P6 – are we seeing a slight downfall for Red Bull?

Max Verstappen – 6th

“Of course, the most important thing is that Checo was okay following his crash. There was a lot of damage to his car, which was very unfortunate, but luckily he was fine. The red flag ultimately meant that our strategy was ruined, so everyone was just managing tyres until the end of the race and the pit stop did not change much either. We had to really slow down a lot to make it to the end of the race and I tried to pass George for two laps but it was extremely difficult. The ride of the car was still not great today and we just didn’t have the pace in qualifying. It ended up being a very boring race for us and not much we could do. It’s been a bad weekend for us but the positive is that we know what the weakness is in the car and if we can improve this we should get back a lot of lap time. A season like last year doesn’t happen often and we are realistic; we stay very strong as a team, don’t overreact, analyse the race and go from there.”

Sergio Perez – DNF

“At the start I lost a position to one of the Haas cars and I was coming out of turn one, I couldn’t see Kevin in my mirrors, you can see that from my on board and then the crash happened. I think the move was unnecessary, we sustained a lot of damage and it was a very dangerous incident. I was disappointed it didn’t get investigated, it was an immense crash and my car is completely destroyed. I think it was totally unnecessary at that point of the race and where we were starting on the grid, we should have been starting in a better grid position today to avoid this and my Team and I are sorry for it, but, there was no need for that. It caused a lot of damage to my car and I am okay after the accident; I just got a small graze to my elbow. Safety in F1 has come a very long way and for that I am grateful. It has been a bad weekend for all of us and the whole thing is frustrating but I trust my Team with my car ahead of Canada and I hope we come back very strong.

Christian Horner – Team Principal

“I would say it was a difficult weekend and Monaco is always dictated by qualifying performance, so we faced many challenges going into today. A big congratulations to Charles on his home win, but for us our car never performed at its best here and we need to understand the issues we had on the bumps and kerbs. Very disappointed by the crash on lap one, and I think Magnussen should have given more space. Not only did he damage his car, he also took out our car, but thankfully Checo stepped away from it unhurt, which is the most important thing. We have a lot of data to analyse from this weekend and we’ll be looking at everything hard over the next couple of weeks before Canada.”

Alpine

A dreadful race for Alpine with the two cars making contact during the first lap, right before entering the tunnel.

This contact between the drivers resulted in Ocons’s car being lifted into the air resulting in too much damage for him to continue.

Harsh words were heard after the contact but this is something we’re going to be covering in the next article.

Since then, Esteban Ocon has apologised for the accident with the stewards handing him a five-place grid penalty for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon – DNF

“I made a mistake today so I apologise to the entire team for the incident and the retirement. In the end, the team scored points as we set out to do and that’s the most important thing for our ambitions. There was too much damage sustained to my car to resume the race despite the best efforts of the team during the red flag stop. We will review everything as a team and come back stronger together. We are all pushing to score points. Mistakes do happen and we move on.”

Pierre Gasly – 10th

“It feels good to score my first point of the season and the team deserves it, considering how much work they have put in during the last couple of weeks to improve our performance. Monaco is a place full of opportunities, especially in Qualifying, which we seized by reaching Q3 for the first time this year. Had we maximised Q3, more points were probably possible. As a team we will review many things. After the red flag, the race was very uneventful and it was just about managing tyres and pace all the way to the chequered flag where, in the end, the outcome is a deserved point for the team.”

Bruno Famin – Team Principal

“Today’s result was largely defined by yesterday’s Qualifying and, as a team, one point is how it has ended up. It’s a bittersweet feeling. We probably did not maximise yesterday’s Qualifying but from where we ended Friday to where we have ended Sunday is clearly a positive outcome. As a team we will review and manage the incident between both cars behind closed doors. We must avoid situations that have the potential to compromise the team.”

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Aston Martin

It’s a drastic change for the team, compared to last year and overall, the team are not performing in the way we believed they would be however – according to some reports, the team are focusing on the car for the next season.

During the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, we say Fernando Alonso backing up the drivers from P12, allowing his team-mate of Lance Stroll a pit-stop to be able to capitalise on P10 however, the driver punctured his tyre and he dropped further down the grid.

This is the first race of the season without points for the team, a disappointing result for them.

Fernando Alonso – 11th

“We were a little bit unlucky at the beginning of the race. We chose the Hard tyre to start the race aiming to go very long in the first stint. With the red flag everyone changed tyres, we did the same but had to fit the Medium and go to the end which was tortuous. It was very difficult to keep the tyres alive. At one point we thought we’d try a different strategy with Lance – a pit stop to attack Gasly, we were out of the points with nothing to lose. It didn’t work but generally it was a disappointing weekend. We need to get better for Canada.”

Lance Stroll – 14th

“I think we always expected the race to be about managing the tyres so that was no surprise, especially after the restart. You need a big delta to overtake here so we did what we could with the strategy. I had a gap over Pierre [Gasly] so we pitted for Hard tyres to try and race him in the second half of the grand prix. In the end it didn’t work out so we missed out on scoring a point. This weekend was not the easiest and shows we need to find some more pace.”

Mike Krack, – Team Principal

“After the red flag on the opening lap there were limited strategy options available today. Starting on the Hard tyres, we switched both cars to the Medium tyres in the hope we could go to the end of the race. Lance had a gap over Gasly so we took the opportunity to fit some Hard tyres to compete for the final point. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. Fernando managed his tyres well, but we finished just outside the top ten. It’s been another tough day, compromised by qualifying outside of the points scoring positions on Saturday. Now is the time to regroup as a team, focus on improvements and come back stronger in Canada.”

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Haas

A dreadful race for Haas which saw both of the drivers out in the first lap.

Magnussen tried to make a move on Perez on the first lap which saw the two come together and within the mix – clipping Hulkenberg as he tried to manoeuvre and make his way past the impact.

Surprisingly, the stewards announced that they would not be investigating the incident.

Nico Hulkenberg – DNF

“I’m disappointed and a bit gutted to be honest to be out after 500 meters. It’s obviously far from ideal having both cars out, and I got taken out by an incident which I wasn’t directly involved in. Obviously, it’s quite narrow here going up to Turn 3. It’s a big shame, things were getting too tight there, it was somewhat a racing incident – it maybe looked a bit optimistic from Kevin – but Checo could’ve also seen him and left room, so the outcome is obviously unfortunate.”

Kevin Magnussen – DNF

“I was with my front alongside Perez’s rear from the exit of Turn 1, in the run up to Turn 3. He goes towards the wall, the wall comes back a little bit towards the track, and I had nowhere to go. I don’t know if he didn’t see me, but I can’t just disappear out of the blue, so I made contact with the wall and him at the same time, and we crashed. It’s frustrating and a crash like this has a big cost for the team in terms of spare parts and making new parts, as well as a lot of work for the team, it’s just never good.”

Ayao Komatsu – Team Principal

“Starting from P19 and P20, we had an alternative strategy plan to try to get something out of it, but unfortunately our race ended on lap one. It’s been a Sunday to forget and we just have to learn from this weekend and move on, and get a good result in Canada.”

There’s lots more on the way so make sure you check back!

The Formula 1 Girl 🙂

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