Ricciardo's glory and Jenson Button's return | The last three Monaco Grands Prix
General
Monaco is arguably the most iconic circuit in Formula 1 history from the start-finish line to the tunnel and the boats in the harbour in the background it really is a spectacular sight, seeing Formula 1 cars whizz around the tight track at huge speeds. Unfortunately, in 2020 we were denied the chance to see Monaco make its standard appearance on the calendar due to the coronavirus but we thought as a tribute to one of the greatest venues ever, we’d look back at the last three races there which have all been memorable in their own way.
2019
Let’s start with the most recent race, The 2019 was an emotional weekend for the entire Formula 1 community. It was the first race following the sad passing of Niki Lauda, who passed away just a few days earlier at the age of 70. The race that followed would be one Lauda, who himself won twice in Monaco, would be proud of! Mercedes were utterly dominant in 2019 so it is no surprise that they qualified first and second with Lewis Hamilton leading the way.
Hamilton got away cleanly but it was a weekend to forget for Charles Leclerc as he crashed out of his first home race in a Ferrari. When the safety car was deployed the leaders pitted and Verstappen got a jump on Bottas and got up to second, leaving him in a position to fight Hamilton for the rest of the race.
With a penalty looming for an unsafe pit exit, Verstappen hounded Hamilton for much of the race who complained about wearing on his tyres like never before. The Dutchman made his best attempt on lap 76 but couldn’t make it stick as the pair touched forcing each other to cut the chicane. Hamilton crossed the line for a truly remarkable win, a victory he dedicated to Lauda who was instrumental in his move to Mercedes.
2018
The 2018 Monaco Grand Prix was a dream and a nightmare for Daniel Ricciardo all at the same time, he may have won the race but boy did he have to earn it. After qualifying on pole, winning Q1,2 AND 3, Ricciardo looked set to drive off into the sunset and win comfortably and he established his advantage as the top six stayed as they were going into the first turn.
On lap 28 however, Ricciardo complained of a lack of power but was forced to manage it for the next 50 laps. Sebastian Vettel tried to get past him but to no avail as a combination of Stoffel Vandoorne getting in the way and dirty air prevented him getting past. The Aussie held on for a brilliant victory and although the race wasn’t the most memorable, it stands out as the last time we saw Ricciardo on top of the podium.
2017
2017 might not be one of the most incredible races but to us, it stands out because it was a one-off return for Jenson Button. The Brit had retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2016 but when Fernando Alonso went to compete in the Indy 500 the obvious replacement was the man who had been a McLaren driver just the previous year.
Button qualified a respectable ninth place and even more impressively ahead of his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne. However, Button couldn’t turn it into McLaren’s first points of the year and his race is best remembered for the bizarre crash between him and Pascal Werhlein. The crash left Wehrlein perched up vertically on the wall and Button was forced to retire with suspension damage and we never saw him compete in F1 again. Sebastian Vettel won the race which extended his lead at the top of the standings.