The Monaco Grand Prix is often considered one of the greatest challenges drivers will face throughout the season.
With its tight, twisty layout through the streets of Monte Carlo and barriers lining the narrow course, drivers are tested even in the best of conditions around Monaco. But with Sunday’s race affected by rain, some drivers struggled more than others in the testing track conditions.
Here are the RaceFans’ driver ratings for the Monaco Grand Prix:
Lewis Hamilton – 5
Qualified: 8th (-2 places behind team mate) +0.448s slower than team mate in Q3 Finished: 8th (-3 places behind team mate)
- Described stiff ride over bumps on Friday as a “rollercoaster ride”
- Qualified eighth after starting Q3 lap on wrong engine mode, then denied second lap with red flag
- Ran eighth in early laps behind Alonso until pitting for intermediates on lap 15
- Tried to pass Ocon for multiple laps, complaining of over-aggressive defending as the pair touched twice
- Gained back eighth when Ocon pitted for slicks, staying ahead when he switched to hard tyres a lap later
- Stuck behind a deliberately slow Alonso after the restart, incapable of finding a way past
- Spent the final laps fending off Ocon in DRS range behind him, finishing
Russell continued his perfect record of top five finishes in 2022 George Russell – 7
Qualified: 6th (+2 places ahead of team mate) -0.448s quicker than team mate in Q3 Finished: 5th (+3 places ahead of team mate)
- Said car ride problems made his weekend his “hardest” Monaco experience
- Beaten to fifth on the grid by Norris but felt that was as high as Mercedes deserved
- Ran sixth behind Norris in early laps until Norris pitted for intermediates
- Remained on wets until pitting for slicks on lap 21
- Used his warmer slick tyres to pass Norris for fifth exiting Sainte Devote
- Remained fifth for the rest of the race, unable to keep pace with the leaders ahead
Max Verstappen – 6
Qualified: 4th (-1 place behind team mate) 0.037s slower than team mate in Q3 Finished: 3rd (-2 places behind team mate)
- Slowest driver of the top two teams in all three practice sessions
- Struggled to find decent balance in qualifying, had been on course to improve his Q3 time before red flag
- Ran fourth in early phase of race, pitting for intermediates after team mate and rejoining fourth
- Pitted for slick tyres immediately after team mate, rejoining in third place
- Switched to medium tyres after red flag, remaining in third between Ferraris until chequered flag
- Protested by Ferrari for allegedly crossing pit exit line but protest was dismissed by stewards
Perez outperformed his world champion team mate all weekend Sergio Perez – 7
Qualified: 3rd (-1 place ahead of team mate) +0.037s quicker than team mate in Q3 Finished: Winner (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Incurred fine for exceeding pit lane speed limit in practice
- Incurred fine for impeding Russell in third practice
- Consistently ahead of team mate in practice and qualifying
- Qualified third after his crash at Portier ended Q3
- Ran third in early phase of race but was first of the front four to switch to intermediates
- Successfully undercut Leclerc to move second
- Took advantage of Sainz being held up by Latifi to pit for slicks after the Ferrari and rejoin in the lead
- Remained out front after the restart after switching to mediums under Safety Car
- Suffered from graining on his front tyres in later laps
- Absorbed pressure in the final laps to take the race win
- Protested by Ferrari for allegedly crossing pit exit line but protest was dismissed by stewards
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Carlos Sainz Jnr – 6
Qualified: 2nd (-1 place behind team mate) +0.225s slower than team mate in Q3 Finished: 2nd (+2 places ahead of team mate)
- Reprimanded for impeding Stroll in practice
- Behind team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Left “a couple of tenths on the table” in Q3 passing Hamilton but red flag denied him a second lap
- Lined up second on grid alongside team mate, running second in the early laps
- Remained out on wets before switching directly onto slicks, which he did on lap 21
- Claimed being caught behind Latifi on out-lap cost him opportunity to undercut Perez for lead
- Ran second the rest of the race, unable to pass Perez despite best efforts in closing laps
Leclerc barely but a foot wrong all weekend, but was left off the podium Charles Leclerc – 8
Qualified: Pole (+1 place ahead of team mate) -0.225s quicker than team mate in Q3 Finished: 4th (-2 places behind team mate)
- Fastest of all in every practice and qualifying session, bar only third practice
- Ahead of team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Claimed fourth consecutive pole after red flag but was on course for even faster time
- Led early phase of race from pole until pitting for intermediates on lap 18, losing position to Perez
- Called into pit for slicks on lap 21, but order was cancelled by team too late, dropping him to fourth
- Remained in fourth behind Verstappen after the restart, unable to find a way past, and would finish there
Lando Norris – 8
Qualified: 5th (+9 places ahead of team mate) -0.698s quicker than team mate in Q2 Finished: 6th (+7 places ahead of team mate)
- Claimed to be at “90 percent” fitness after tonsillitis bout
- Ahead of team mate in all three practice sessions
- Secured ‘best of the rest’ grid position of fifth in qualifying, believing he had 0.15s on table
- Ran in fifth before pitting for intermediates on lap 17
- Switched to hard slicks on lap 22, but was passed by Russell on way out of the pit lane
- Ran sixth after restart, gradually falling back from Russell ahead
- Took advantage of massive gap to Alonso behind to pit for mediums
- Set fastest lap of the race on way to sixth
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A crash in practice led to another frustrating weekend for Ricciardo Daniel Ricciardo – 3
Qualified: 14th (-9 places behind team mate) +0.698s slower than team mate in Q2 Finished: 13th (-7 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in all three practice sessions
- Heavy crash at Swimming Pool in second practice ended his Friday early
- Eliminated in Q2 to start from 14th on the grid
- Gained two places when Vettel and Tsunoda pitted for intermediates
- Passed by Gasly to fall to 13th
- Switched directly onto slick tyres on lap 19
- Caught up in the Alonso train after the restart but unable to make any progress
- Finished 13th at the chequered flag
Alonso manipulated the field masterfully to try and help his team mate Fernando Alonso – 7
Qualified: 7th (+3 places ahead of team mate) -0.800s quicker than team mate in Q3 Finished: 7th (+5 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in all three practice sessions
- Crashed at Mirabeau during final flying lap attempt in Q3 but lined up seventh for race
- Ran seventh on wets, retaining seventh after switching directly to slicks on lap 21
- Deliberately backed well off the pace after restart to try and create buffer for team mate’s penalty
- Finished comfortably ahead of Hamilton in seventh by the chequered flag
Esteban Ocon – 5
Qualified: 10th (-3 places behind team mate) +0.800s slower than team mate in Q3 Finished: 12th (-5 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in all three practice sessions
- Reached Q3 but could not improve on final effort due to track blockage and took tenth
- Ran tenth, gaining ninth with Vettel pitted for intermediates, then eighth when Hamilton did the same
- Made contact with Hamilton while defending into Sainte Devote, earning a five second time penalty
- Appeared to squeeze Hamilton into the barrier under braking for Sainte Devote, but not investigated
- Fell behind Hamilton after pitting for slicks, remaining in ninth for the rest of the race
- Demoted out of the points in 12th after penalty was applied post race
Pierre Gasly – 7
Qualified: 17th (-6 places behind team mate) +0.550s slower than team mate in Q1 Finished: 11th (+6 places ahead of team mate)
- Ahead of team mate in all three practice sessions
- “Extremely frustrated” to be knocked out of Q1 after crossing the line one second after chequered flag
- Started 17th but made call to gamble on intermediates at end of opening lap
- Earned three places when rivals ahead pitted, then passed Zhou and Ricciardo on track to gain 12th place
- Pitted for hard slicks on lap 22 to sit 12th when race was red flagged
- Spent second half of the race behind Vettel, finishing 12th but promoted to 11th with Ocon’s penalty
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Tsunoda made many trips to the run off – and the stewards Yuki Tsunoda – 3
Qualified: 11th (+6 places ahead of team mate) -0.550s quicker than team mate in Q1 Finished: 17th (-6 places behind team mate)
- Reprimanded for impeding Magnussen at chicane in practice
- Fined a total of €2,000 for breaking pit lane speed limit twice
- Reached Q2 but apologised to team for causing Q1 red flag by clipping Nouvelle barrier, costing team mate
- Ran 11th in early laps before pitting for intermediates on lap six
- Pitted for hard slicks on lap 21, rejoining 15th
- Switched to mediums under red flagged but struggled with graining
- Ran off track at Sainte Devote on lap 57, dropping to last before pitting for softs
- Finished last on the road in 17th place by chequered flag
Sebastian Vettel – 7
Qualified: 9th (+9 places ahead of team mate) -0.365s quicker than team mate in Q1 Finished: 10th (+4 places ahead of team mate)
- Broke the pit lane speed limit three separate times in practice and qualifying
- Ahead of team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Inside of top ten in all three qualifying phases to line up ninth on the grid
- Held ninth at the start before pitting for intermediates on lap six, dropping to 16th
- Overtook Zhou for 14th into Anthony Noghes
- Pitted for slicks on lap 23 and rejoined 11th
- Kept Gasly behind for the second half of the race to finish 11th, promoted to tenth by Ocon’s penalty
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Lance Stroll – 4
Qualified: 18th (-9 places behind team mate) +0.365s slower than team mate in Q1 Finished: 14th (-4 places behind team mate)
- Behind team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Audibly angry to be eliminated in Q1 after mistake at Swimming Pool
- Hit the barriers at Casino Square under Safety Car, forcing him to pit for repairs
- Ran 19th in early laps after switching to intermediates
- Passed Tsunoda in an aggressive, almost out-of-control move into Rascasse on lap 20
- Last car to switch to slicks on lap 24, rejoining 14th
- Stuck behind Ricciardo after restart, eventually finishing behind him in 14th
Latifi managed to crash under Safety Car Nicholas Latifi – 3
Qualified: 19th (-3 places behind team mate) +0.792s slower than team mate in Q1 Finished: 15th
- Qualified on back row of the grid but compromised by red flag
- Crashed at hairpin on opening lap under Safety Car, requiring new front wing and switching to intermediates
- Ran off at Sainte Devote on lap 10, putting him further behind the pack in last
- Pitted for slicks on lap 19, then moved ahead of team mate after his puncture
- Ran at back only ahead of Albon, but made opportunistic pass on Zhou to move 15th, where he would finish
Alexander Albon – 3
Qualified: 16th (+3 places ahead of team mate) -0.792s quicker than team mate in Q1 Finished: Retired (Unspecified, L48)
- Ahead of team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Frustrated to be first car eliminated from Q1 in 16th
- Moved up to 13th in early laps when rivals pitted but fell back to 16th by running off at Sainte Devote
- Five second time penalty for missing chicane when defending from Schumacher on lap 16 and gaining advantage
- Switched straight to slicks but refused to allow Leclerc on intermediates by despite blue flags
- Ran off at Sainte Devote a second time on lap 21, distracted by a radio message, flat-spotting tyres
- Took advantage of Zhou error at Rascasse to take 16th but clipped barrier, causing right-rear puncture
- Dropped to last after pitting, where he would remain until retiring on lap 48
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Valtteri Bottas – 6
Qualified: 12th (+8 places ahead of team mate) -2.065s quicker than team mate in Q1 Finished: 9th (+7 places ahead of team mate)
- Fined €1,000 for breaking pit lane speed limit in practice by almost 22km/h
- Missed yet another hour of practice after MGU-K failure in first practice
- Ahead of team mate in every practice and qualifying session where both set times
- Disappointed to be eliminated in Q1 to line up 12th on the grid
- Gained two places when Vettel and Tsunoda pitted for intermediates in early laps
- Stayed out on wets until switching to slicks on lap 20
- Ran in tenth before red flag, remained there after race resumed until chequered flag
- Inherited ninth due to Ocon’s time penalty
Zhou Guanyu – 4
Qualified: 20th (-8 places behind team mate) -2.065s slower than team mate in Q1 Finished: 16th (-7 places behind team mate)
- Warned by stewards after impeding Verstappen in practice
- Behind team mate in every practice and qualifying session where both set times
- Caught out by red flag in Q1 and was last in the queue when session resumed, missing chance to improve time
- Lined up 20th on the grid but gained two places when Latifi and Stroll hit wall under Safety Car
- Gained places when drivers ahead pitted for intermediates, but passed by Gasly and Vettel
- Switched straight from wets to slicks on lap 19, running 16th behind Tsunoda
- Almost collided with Tsunoda at the chicane and avoided spinning, but lost place to Latifi
- Could not pass the Williams and would eventually finish 16th
Schumacher had a second major crash in two Monaco weekends Mick Schumacher – 2
Qualified: 15th (-2 places behind team mate) +0.160s slower than team mate in Q2 Finished: Retired (Crash, L24)
- Lost running in first practice with MGU-K
- Behind team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Eliminated slowest in Q2, admitting he did not “nail” middle sector
- Pitted for intermediates at the end of the second racing lap, but got stuck behind wet-shod Albon
- Switched to slicks on lap 17, dropping to last place
- Used dry tyres to jump ahead of Albon to run 17th
- Crashed heavily at Swimming Pool after admitting taking the wrong line and losing grip on the damp surface
Kevin Magnussen – 5
Qualified: 13th (+2 places ahead of team mate) -0.160s quicker than team mate in Q2 Finished: Retired (ERS water leak, L19)
- Ahead of team mate in every practice and qualifying session
- Progressed into Q1 but eliminated in 13th
- Held 13th place after start, gained two places from Vettel and Tsunoda pitting for intermediates
- Remained on wet tyres in pursuit of Bottas in 11th
- Kept Gasly on intermediates behind until water leak in ERS caused him to retire
Over to you
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2022 Monaco Grand Prix
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