F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 8
REPORT BY JAMES ROBERTS
1 Processional drivers pictured
While the debate rages on as to whether Monte Carlo remains a suitable location to host a world championship Grand Prix, there’s no denying it has a mythical quality. Monaco is a unique place, distinct from the Tilkedromes around the world. If you have a ken for rummaging through bargain bins, the editor of this magazine once wrote a book about it.
But, as students sitting an exam on chaos theory might well be asked, to what extent did the designer responsible for the Haas high-downforce wing help Charles Leclerc win this year’s Monaco Grand Prix?
As the weekend on the Côte d’Azure unfolded, the two Haas drivers became central to the outcome. Procedural post-qualifying technical checks found the DRS flaps on both Haas cars opened more than the maximum permitted 85mm. Both Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen were running with a new rear wing; the non-conformity was the result of the trackside mechanics not being informed that the gap had to be set using measurements from a different area of the wing than before, owing to its different profile.
While the team admitted its error and claimed no performance advantage eventuated, the rules allow for no mitigations in this area and both cars therefore started from the back row. Off the line, Magnussen (competing with 10 points on his licence) found a way past his team-mate on the inside of Sainte Dévote and aimed for a gap inside Sergio Pérez (who had made a poor start from 16th on the grid) as they accelerated up Beau Rivage.
Pérez looked in his mirrors and the gap between the Red Bull and the Armco barrier quickly disappeared. Magnussen didn’t back out and the resulting contact speared Pérez into the wall at high speed and wiped out Hülkenberg in the process. All the way up the hill, debris littered the road. It was a huge impact and, thankfully, given the narrow confines of Monaco and the speeds involved, it was extremely fortunate no marshals, photographers or spectators were injured.
“I don’t know if Checo saw Kevin… Checo could have left space,” said Hülkenberg. “At the same time, I think Kevin was also very optimistic about staying there, where the track gets narrower and there are little kinks up to Turn 3.”
The race was instantly red-flagged to clear up the
