The 2021 Monaco GP was an enthralling event, with this year’s edition living up to its hype and prestige. Charles Leclerc was supposed to start the race as he was the fastest driver in qualifying ahead of Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas in 2nd and 3rd respectively. However, due to a crash at the end of Saturday, which damaged his left driveshaft, he could not start the race. Another prominent driver who had a rather bad race was Mercedes’ Valterri Bottas, could not finish because of a wheel issue during a pit stop.

At the end, Verstappen emerged victorious in pole position, making him the leader of the driver’s standings for the first time in his career. Carlos Sainz drove home in second place, winning his first podium for Ferrari. Lando Norris of Mclaren finished 3rd in the beautiful special edition car used just for Monaco. Segio Perez and Sebastien Vettel were forth and fifth respectively, after a great race from both drivers. Vettel won his first points for his new team Aston Martin, while also winning the best driver of the day award.

About the Monaco Grand Prix

Monaco Grand Prix is one of the biggest races of the calendar year. It has a unique combination of history, prestige and excitement that only a few events have. In fact, Monaco GP, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 hours make up the Triple Crown of the most prestigious races in the world. To go with that, it is also the only F1 race in the world to take place inside a city, using the normal roads instead of a specific track. Today we are going to have a look at what makes the Monaco GP so special.

The race itself predates the current F1 world championship; it was first organized in 1929 by the Automobile Club de Monaco under auspices of Prince Louis II. On April 14, William Grover-Williams won the first ever race while driving a Bugatti Type 35B.

The race quickly gained importance in the few years after it’s inception. However, from 1938 to 1947 it was not held due to demand for high appearance fees and later the second world war. Another notable cancellation was in 1949 due to the unfortunate death of the Prince.

Ever since 1950, the race has been officially included in the Formula One World Driver’s Championship, with F1 legend Fangio winning the first edition. During the 1960’s, British driver Graham Hill came to be known as “the king of Monaco” for winning 5 GP races held in the country. He was the most successful driver before the implementation of new Armco safety barriers on the track in the 1970’s. These barriers were put as a result of accidents like Alberto Ascari and Paul Hawkins, where the cars ended up in the harbor waters.

After Hill, there were very few other drivers who were very successful at the Monaco GP – the Brazilian Ayrton Senna has won the race a record 6 times. Michael Schumacher, along with Hill, have won it 5 times; while Alain Prost closely follows with 4 times. Current world champion Lewi Hamilton has won the race 3 times, along with Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg. The most successful team at the race has been McLaren, with 15 wins. Ferrari and Mercedes are a bit behind with 10 and 8 wins respectively.

The Grand Prix circuit de Monaco, along with Monza in Italy is the only track to have had the same circuit ever since it’s inception. The track itself has a total length of about 3.3 kms, making it one of the shortest in the entire season. However, the elevation changes, tight corners and a narrow course makes it one of the most demanding ones in the history of the competition.

Without a doubt, the coming race would be one of the marquee motorsport events of 2021.
Article by Aakash Damiani - International University of Monaco

April 2021 marked a ‘mini-homecoming’ for the Monegasque F1 driver Charles Leclerc, as the racer gifted his iconic Ferrari single seater F1 race car SF90 to HSH Prince Albert. This car was driven by Leclerc during his victories at the Belgian GP and the Italian GP in the 2019 season, a feat the entire Principality is proud of.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, started the race in pole position, and continued his dominance throughout the race, finishing first. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas finished behind in second and third position respectively. Leclerc’s teammate, Sebastian Vettel, just missed out on the podium, as he finished at a more than respectable 4th position.

Similarly, at the Italian Grand Prix, Leclerc started at pole position and finished at the same. Hamilton and Bottas switched positions however, with the latter finishing second this time. Vettel however, managed to finish at a mediocre 13th place, especially since Ferrari is considered to be one of the best teams in the game.

Considered by many as one of the best drivers on the grid, Leclerc was gifted the car by the Scuderia Ferrari team; and as a tribute to the place he grew up in, he then decided to pass on the present to the sovereign. The SF90 adds to the Prince’s personal car collection, or the Monaco Top Car Collection as it is so often called. The collection already includes a Porsche 928, 1986 Lamborghini Countach, 1942 Ford GPW among others, which have been collected over a period of more than 30 years.

Speaking about the car, Prince Albert said –
“It’s wonderful! I thank Charles very much for having made this gesture to us and it is true that it has its place here. It fits perfectly into the logic of the Collection, which is to present old and modern vehicles, which trace the history of the automobile and motor racing.”

The collection currently sits at the terrace of the Fontvielle Centre Commercial; and is currently closed to the public due to the Pandemic. However, when it does re-open, it will surely create a certain buzz.

Article by Aakash Damani (International University of Monaco)