Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing drove brilliantly to win the 2022 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, marking the third win of his career and the first victory in the prestigious Monaco race.
It was a tough fight victory as Perez faced not only an All-Ferrari front row but also heavy rain, safety cars and faded tires. Ferrari’s Carlos Senz was just 1.15 seconds behind, and third place went to fellow Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, about 1.5 seconds behind the winner.
The race was delayed by more than an hour due to rain and the drivers had to face very wet conditions when given the green light. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was at the pole, on a track where it was infamously difficult to pass, and at first glance it looked like he would win his home race comfortably.
However, the track began to dry up and, which turned out to be a great tactic, Perez was in the lap of the 16th and in the fourth position was the first of the front runners, the first from the weight to the intermediate tire pit and switch. Leclerc made the same change after two laps, as Verstappen did, which allowed Perez to catch them. Signe, however, was out until Lap 22, went straight to Slicks and then in an amazing move decided to do the same with Ferrari Leclerc, calling him for a double stop at the same time.
2022 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix
It went into the hands of the Red Bulls as Perez was able to move Senge forward to claim the lead spot and Verstappen did the same to move to third place with Leclerc. The race was almost over at the moment, although it was closed once again after a major accident at the swimming pool at 27 in the lap of the smiling Mick Schumacher, from which he fortunately received no injuries even though his two cars were torn apart.
Perez took control of the race after the restart, although his tires began to fade near 55. This allows Sange, Verstapen, and Leclerc to close, with Sange almost making a pass to the hairpin, but Perez refuses. After finishing the top three, Leclerc crossed the fourth line and George Russell of Mercedes-Benz AMG finished in the top five.
Following the weekend’s action, Verstapen has increased its lead points at the 2022 Drivers Championship to 125 points. Leclerc is second with 116 points and Perez is third with 110 points. In the Constructors Championship, Red Bull leads with 235 points, Ferrari with 199 and Mercedes with 134 points.
The next round of the calendar is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a fortnight.
Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing at the 2022 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix
Below are the full results of the 2022 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix:
1) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
2) Carlos Sange, Ferrari +1.154 seconds
3) Max Versatapen, Red Bull Racing +1.491 sec
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +2.922 seconds
5) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +11.968 sec
6) Lando Norris, McLaren +12.231 sec
7) Fernando Alonso, Alpine +46.358 seconds
8) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +50.388 sec
9) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +52.525 seconds
10) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin +53.536 sec
11) Pierre Gasley, Alfatouri +54.289 sec
12) Esteban Oaken, Alpine +55.644 seconds
13) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +57.635 seconds
14) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +60.802 sec
15) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +1 Lap
16) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
17) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +1 lap
NC) Alexander Alban, Williams – DNF
NC) Mick Schumacher, Haas – DNF
NC) Kevin Magnassen, Haas – DNF