Although the Formula 1 race in Monaco did not result in a single safety car deployment, it was nevertheless marked by chaos. For Nico Hülkenberg, a weekend to forget.
Monaco – Formula 1 visited Monaco on Sunday (28 May) and this race was marked by chaos – especially at the end. Unsurprisingly, Max Verstappen was able to take victory, with a gap of 27 seconds to Fernando Alonso. For Haas and especially Nico Hulkenberg, however, it was a rather disappointing weekend and that was due in particular to a partial lack of communication.
2023 Monaco Grand Prix | |
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Race winners: | Max Verstappen |
Race length: | 260.286 km in 78 laps |
fastest race lap: | Lewis Hamilton |
First Formula 1 race: | 1950 |
Nico Hülkenberg: "Yes, they didn't inform me about it at all"
Nico Hulkenberg had a tough race. Right at the beginning, he was given a 5-second penalty for a collision with Logan Sargeant in the Williams. The bad thing about it: "Yes, they didn't even inform me about it! To be honest, I didn't even know what was going on until someone had just enlightened me," Hulkenberg told Sky after the race. So the German did not know about his bad luck at all.
In the end, it gets even worse: because he had not properly served this penalty during a pit stop, the FIA added another 10 seconds at the end, so he had to give up his actual 16th place to Perez and finished the race only in 17th place. Fortunately, Hülkenberg takes his team's lack of communication relatively calmly: "Sometimes it's better that way, but I still put everything into the race and gave everything. But we're going to do a hard reset now - then Barcelona next week."
The reason for Nico Hulkenberg's 5-second penalty in Monaco. © IMAGO/HOCH ZWEI
Rain causes chaos on the track in Monaco
But it wasn't just the lack of communication at Haas that caused confusion, the rain in Monaco also promised chaos on the track from lap 50. Some of the cars slid back and forth as if on ice. Lance Stroll knocked off his front wing and had to end the race early, Carols Sainz lost some valuable places after a spin and Max Verstappen also kissed the boards one or two times at the end.
However, the outcome of the race was not surprising, at least for the first two places. Esteban Ocon crossed the finish line in third place, finishing on the podium for only the third time in his Formula 1 career and securing valuable points for the World Championship. For Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, it was a home race to forget, although he finished ahead of teammate Sainz in the end and Sergio Perez is also hoping for a much better race result in Spain. The Spanish Grand Prix will then take place on 04 June 2023 at 15:<> (CEST). (lhe)