Conclusions: Reset button needed for Tsunoda, Ferrari can do Verstappen favours

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24 May 2021 at 08:56
Last update 24 May 2021 at 10:47
  • GPblog.com

The Monaco Grand Prix is over and so it is time to draw some conclusions. Let's focus on whether Ferrari can play a role in the World Championship, the strategists at Red Bull, the angry words at Mercedes, the bad performing Haas F1 and the disappointing Yuki Tsunoda.

Can Ferrari help Verstappen and Red Bull to World Championship title in 2021?

Ferrari had to come a long way, but they were finally back where they belong. The Italian team came to the Monaco Grand Prix with a very competitive car and even managed to fight for victory. Ferrari will want to do everything in their power to keep this momentum going and although they are already focusing more on the 2022 car, it looks like we will see the red cars at the front more often. That could play into Max Verstappen's hands, just as it did last weekend. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz could also score points against Mercedes. This is also very positive for the Constructors' Championship of course. 

However, it's likely that Ferrari's performance was very track dependant. Ever since they lost out to Mercedes in the slow corners during the 2019 season, the Italian aerodynamics team have worked on sorting this problem. They were strong in this department during the 2020 season, but nothing highlights this strength like the circuit at Monaco. 

Red Bull's strategists were spot on

Red Bull's strategists were criticised after Verstappen was beaten on strategy in Barcelona, but that was more down to Perez being too far behind and unable to put pressure on Valtteri Bottas, rather than the actual choice that was made. In Monaco, they got their money's worth, as Perez managed to make up three positions. Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly and Sebastian Vettel were caught out thanks to an excellent overcut, making fourth place the final result. It gave Red Bull the lead in the constructors' championship.

No great evaluations for Mercedes

Toto Wolff will undoubtedly have slept the least of all. The Mercedes team boss saw Bottas' pit stop go horribly wrong and Hamilton's early pit stop turned out to be the worst possible result. Hamilton finished seventh but had Bottas and Leclerc not crashed out, it would've been a ninth place finish. Bottas threw away his gloves when he got out of the car and Hamilton complained about it all over the radio and in the media. Mercedes did not have fun in Monaco.

Haas F1 is finished

Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher finished three (!) laps down in Monaco, which is rather embarrassing. We know that the American team has its sights set on 2022 and have started with two rookies this season, but this is really humiliating. Guenther Steiner will be devastated, and the team's future in the sport seems in doubt.

Tsunoda needs to find the 'reset button'

Yuki Tsunoda started the season very convincingly in Bahrain, but the weekends in Imola, Portugal and Barcelona have not gone as planned. The weekend in Monaco was also difficult for the Japanese driver. The AlphaTauri driver was close to the Williams cars, while Pierre Gasly finished sixth. Helmut Marko and Franz Tost need to press the reset button on Tsunoda because he can't have suddenly lost his speed and talent. It just hasn't been coming out lately.