Feature

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2021 Monaco GP

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Charles Leclerc (Pole, Did Not Start): 8.5/10
It's difficult to come up with a rating for a driver who never got the chance to show what he could do in the race, having already been sidelined for the first practice session with gearbox issues that proved a sign and portent of things to come.. Based on his performances on Thursday afternoon (where he was fastest of anyone at the end of practice) and Saturday (where he sensationally grabbed pole position) then Charles Leclerc deserves top marks. But then at the very end of the session there was that costly crash: while we don't think for a minute it was an intentional bid to bring out a red flag and end the session before anyone could go faster, it's hard not to speculate it was a factor in the driveshaft failure that forced the Ferrari driver out of his home race on Sunday. In that case you have to consider that Leclerc was at least an unwitting contributor to his own misfortune and the heartbreak that ensued - although even if that's the case, the punishment was far in excess of any crime committed.

Valtteri Bottas (Retired, Lap 30): 8.5/10
Valtteri Bottas' exit from the Monaco Grand Prix was emphatically not his fault, but like his team mate he struggled to get the Mercedes to perform to its usual standards throughout the weekend. Sixth and fifth in the first practice sessions on Thursday (and slower than Lewis Hamilton in both) Bottas was in better form on Saturday where he managed to claim a second row grid spot while Hamilton's session stuttered and spluttered in seventh. Charles Leclerc's no-show for the race gave him clear space ahead at the start and he did his best to use it to get past Max Verstappen, but the Red Bull easily parried him and after that it was clear that Bottas was using everything he had just to keep up. The effort cost him his tyres and he was in at the end of lap 30 for a new set, which is when that disastrous damaged wheel nut reared its head and forced him to retire. Without it Bottas would surely have picked up a podium in Monaco, but victory was realistically out of reach this week with Verstappen in this sort of form.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.