On our list for Winners and Losers of the Monaco GP, we have included Charles Leclerc from Ferrari and Sergio Perez from Red Bull.
On a day when Charles Leclerc became the toast of Monaco once again, it was the Red Bull drivers struggling to impress.
Charles Leclerc was untouchable in Q3 at Monaco, popping in an unbelievable last flying lap to take pole position for his home race – capitalising on a day where Red Bull failed to fire on all cylinders.
Winners and losers from 2024 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying
Winners
Charles Leclerc
Utilizing his extensive knowledge of the circuit, the driver from Monaco skillfully executed the fastest lap at the crucial moment, and then, with great determination, pushed himself even harder during his last run in Q3.
Leclerc put on a metronomic performance, reminiscent of Verstappen, as he steadily improved throughout the day and secured his third Monaco pole position in just four years.
Despite facing mechanical failure in 2021 and strategy errors causing a downfall in 2022, Leclerc now has all the necessary elements aligned to prove that the Monaco ‘curse’ no longer haunts him.
After being challenged by Carlos Sainz’s outstanding performances in the initial races of 2024, Leclerc is now stepping up his game, much like we have seen from him in recent years. This remarkable improvement has enabled him to secure pole position, narrowly surpassing Oscar Piastri.
McLaren
The MCL38’s versatility over a variety of circuits was put to rest on Saturday at Monaco, following victories in Miami and a strong performance at Imola.
Oscar Piastri appeared to be more at ease during the session, securing the front-row spot next to Leclerc. His strong performance bodes well for a potential first victory on Sunday, especially considering his skill in preserving the McLaren’s tire performance at Imola.
Although Norris hasn’t reached the same level of success as Piastri thus far, he is not far behind either. The winner of the Miami GP will commence the race from the fourth position.
Does McLaren’s recent improvement in slow corner performance make it the most competitive and adaptable car on the grid at tracks that prioritize mechanical grip?
Pierre Gasly
Gasly and Alpine’s year has been filled with misery thus far, but it appears that they are now making progress in solving the issues with their problematic car.
If Gasly hadn’t performed exceptionally well in qualifying, Esteban Ocon would have secured a place on the Winner list solely based on his 11th place position. Ocon has been more successful than Gasly in the first quarter of the season.
However, while Ocon’s achievement was impressive, it was overshadowed by Gasly’s remarkable qualifying position. The French driver showcased his exceptional skills once again during his second stint at AlphaTauri.
Gasly, typically gloomy in 2024, couldn’t conceal his grin upon successfully advancing to Q3, despite growing speculation about his imminent departure from the team.
Although he will only be one position ahead of Ocon in the end, Alpine’s progress from the very back of the pack to the midfield has been remarkable. Their outstanding performance in Monte Carlo last year leaves us wondering if they can secure a substantial number of points this year.
George Russell
Once again, George Russell has outperformed Lewis Hamilton in yet another qualifying session.
Russell has indeed installed the new front wing on his Mercedes, a modification that Hamilton believes provides him with a two-tenths of a second advantage. This advantage is even greater than the margin Russell previously had over Hamilton.
However, Russell has consistently outperformed Hamilton this season, securing a higher qualifying position on all occasions except one, indicating that he currently holds the advantage.
Russell was disappointed that he couldn’t secure a top three position, despite believing it was achievable. However, his disappointment also indicates optimism regarding Mercedes’ ability to consistently tap into the potential performance of the W15.
Undoubtedly, the car now seems more favorable to drive and is moving up in the hierarchy as Mercedes had anticipated. If the Brackley-based team continues to progress in the right direction with their car development, they might have a chance to compete for race victories by the end of the year.
How to keep up with all the action from Monaco this weekend
F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates
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Losers
Max Verstappen
Verstappen’s weekend has been significantly affected by the small mistake he made at Ste. Devote, which is a rare occurrence for the Dutch driver to end up on this list.
During the first and second quarters, Verstappen appeared to have successfully regained his focus with his Red Bull, despite a challenging Friday. Although he didn’t secure the pole position, he had been progressively narrowing the gap to match the pace set by Ferrari and McLaren.
However, instead of conjuring one of his typical moments of magic, Verstappen made a mistake by misjudging the first corner on his last flying lap. Instantly realizing that the lap was ruined, he promptly eased off the accelerator.
Although he currently maintains a secure lead in the championship, he is about to face a challenging Sunday race that will require him to display remarkable patience. The reason being, his competing rivals have the upper hand as they are starting ahead of him on the grid and hold the advantage of track position.
Sergio Perez
Despite a below-average performance, Verstappen manages to secure a spot on this list. However, his difficulties were overshadowed by Sergio Perez’s struggles.
The Mexican expressed on Friday that he believed Ferrari had a significant lead. However, to his disappointment, it was not just Ferrari but the entire field that outperformed him during qualifying.
Despite his final run being hindered by traffic, the onboard footage revealed that he was far from at ease behind the wheel, resulting in a disappointing 18th place finish in the session and elimination in Q1.
Despite finishing behind Logan Sargeant from Williams, the performance suggests that the same mid-season slump that affected him last year has already started, especially considering his questionable weekend at Imola.
Perez’s timing couldn’t be worse as he has just confirmed talks with Red Bull regarding his future. Throughout the year, the consistent performance he has been urged to deliver has been lacking in recent times.
With the field now catching up, or maybe even surpassing Red Bull’s performance, the team cannot afford any more mistakes from Perez. If he cannot fix things quickly, his time with Milton Keynes will soon be over.
Fernando Alonso
There was yet another surprising elimination in the first quarter, as Fernando Alonso, who had shown great strength during Friday practice, had his hopes of a remarkable performance dashed in qualifying. Despite being a strong contender for victory last year, his chances of repeating such heroics evaporated as he was eliminated in the early stages.
The Spaniard attributed the blame to the traffic without feeling any anger towards the situation.
Alonso presented a suggestion regarding the group qualification for Monaco’s 70-second lap while elaborating on the reasons behind his own shortcomings.
“After the session, he stated, ‘Clearly, we may not have been the fastest car to secure pole position, but I believe we had enough pace to secure P7 or P8.'”
“I unexpectedly found myself in the incorrect place and time.”
“This is Monaco, renowned for its challenging nature in obtaining a flawless lap. Unfortunately, I believe I sacrificed three-tenths of a second at Turn 11 due to a preceding car, and an additional two-tenths in the final corner due to three parked cars intentionally obstructing the start of my lap.”
I believe there is no one to point fingers at, but it seems they were unable to disappear in the final moment from the last corner. Nevertheless, it was a slightly unfortunate day.
“On Sunday, the objective is to avoid any accidents and ensure the car remains intact.”
Following a series of unsteady performances, Alonso requires another remarkable performance to revive his season and regain momentum.
Daniel Ricciardo
Yuki Tsunoda once again captured attention with an impressive qualifying performance, securing an excellent eighth place. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo unfortunately fell short and was eliminated in Q2, finishing in 13th position.
After the Chinese Grand Prix, there seemed to be a positive change with the introduction of a new chassis for the Australian driver’s team. However, in a track where the driver’s skill can compensate for a significant performance gap in the car, Tsunoda outperformed the Australian easily, clocking a time three-tenths faster in Q2.
“It was a tough day today,” he said afterward.
“Qualifying is very important here in Monaco and it hurts starting outside the top 10 for tomorrow’s race.
“Yesterday we felt we were in a good place, I knew there was a little bit to come for us so I was definitely excited coming into today, but unfortunately, it feels like we took a little bit of a backstep. I’m not disappointed with the way I drove, it just simply wasn’t quite enough to get the most out of it where I needed to.
“The car was slightly trickier in some places and I was struggling a little, but it wasn’t a matter of us making any big mistakes. Personally, I just found it difficult to get the tyres going in the first lap and then, whenever I was able to lift the pace, we couldn’t find as much time as the others. I’ve qualified a few times around this position here and certainly, it won’t make our life easy.”
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