Rate the race: 2021 Monaco Grand Prix

2021 Monaco Grand Prix

23rd May 2021, 15:41 | Written by Keith Collantine

What did you think of today’s race? Share your verdict on the Monaco Grand Prix.

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Rate the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix out of 10

10 (2%)
9 (2%)
8 (3%)
7 (8%)
6 (15%)
5 (13%)
4 (10%)
3 (15%)
2 (13%)
1 (19%)

Total Voters: 344

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2021 Monaco Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine

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144 comments on “Rate the race: 2021 Monaco Grand Prix”

Jere (@jerejj)
23rd May 2021, 15:45

Pretty decent for Monaco’s standards.
1. johnt1788 (@johnt1788)
  23rd May 2021, 15:48
  
  Really? Did we watch the same race?
  1. Thraxmanius (@thraxmanius)
    23rd May 2021, 21:49
    
    Jeez, how can anyone take it serious, Monaco is just 78 parade laps. It exists to appease the rich.
2. S
  23rd May 2021, 15:51
  
  I’m coming round to your place next time @jerejj. Your TV must be awesome, because it looked absolutely terrible on mine.
3. graham228221 (@graham228221)
  23rd May 2021, 16:07
  
  I think some F1 fans must have been beaten into submission to think that was anything but a waste of two hours.
  1. Bubu
    23rd May 2021, 16:15
    
    Sorry, but that was a pretty highly-dosed televised sleeping pill even for Monaco GP standards. ‘Nuff said, next one.
4. Tricky (@tricky)
  23rd May 2021, 17:28
  
  Definitely in the top 5 dullest races ever.
  I saw 1 overtake (SCH on MAZ) but worse that that, no one even getting close enough to try. To top it off, the most exciting challenge for position was GAS and VET going side by side up the hill, for the director to cut away and show a car missing a corner.
5. Todfod (@todfod)
  23rd May 2021, 18:10
  
  There wasn’t a single overtake on track after the first corner. There really wasn’t a fight for the win. There were no safety car periods, or any potential for order reshuffles. Heck, we didn’t even get the polesitter and the championship contender battle it out.
  
  The race result made the championship interesting… But the race in itself was one of the worst I’ve seen.
  1. melanos
    24th May 2021, 0:08
    
    There wasn’t a single overtake on track after the first corner.
    
    There was a brave pass (Mick to Nikita) in the hairpin. Pretty much agree with the rest.
    1. melanos
      24th May 2021, 0:38
      
      Besides the brave hairpin pass, there were 5 more overtakes, all in the first few turns:
      Stroll and Kimi on Dan Ric
      Alonso on Tsunoda and Russell
      Latifi on Tsunoda
      For a grand total of six. Plus a few good overcuts
S
23rd May 2021, 15:46

0.1 out of 10.
Absolute garbage.
1. Steveetienne
  23rd May 2021, 15:51
  
  That high? You’re being generous.
2. Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
  23rd May 2021, 18:37
  
  I gave this race 1 point.
  Firstly, there is no “0” option.
  Secondly, I love Serena Williams.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
23rd May 2021, 15:46

I mean, the race itself was pretty meh other than a few laps during the pitstop period. But as Monaco races go, it wasn’t bad. I certainly enjoyed having a more shaken up grid with Red Bull, Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren ahead of Mercedes. I’m gonna enjoy this because I fully expect normal service to resume once more from Baku.
1. BasCB (@bascb)
  23rd May 2021, 18:56
  
  I agree with you guys @mashiat, @jerejj. Given that these cars are as they are, the race was quite decent. Saturday really was interesting. And on Sunday we got heartbreak early on for Leclerc, then a bit for Bottas. We had Giovinazzi hounding Ocon for much of the race without making an impression, we had Norris defending from Perez and we had Tsunoda all over the back of Latifi as well.
  
  And a nice show where the pace can be with the fast lap from Hamilton. The thrill is seeing them going 100 kmh average through the city for 78 laps.
  1. Mashiat (@mashiat)
    23rd May 2021, 20:39
    
    @bascb This race was incredibly dull, don’t get me wrong, but the reason I don’t think it was that terrible is that the expectations were already low. I went into this race knowing that it wouldn’t be the most exciting race, and I was just glad that we didn’t get a VSC or SC right in the middle of the pit window meaning everyone rejoins from the pits in the same order as they were in the first stint. The worst races for me are the ones in which we hold some expectations, but there is literally nothing going on all around. Abu Dhabi last year, or the 2019 French GP are the ones that come to mind, where you tune in maybe hoping to see some battles, but it just is a procession. Not to mention that watching a car around Monaco does not offer the same entertainment value as watching a car go around Paul Ricard or Abu Dhabi.
Biker56 (@biker56)
23rd May 2021, 15:46

Processional
Dave
23rd May 2021, 15:47

Monaco is a specialist in failure.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
23rd May 2021, 15:47

3 bit of a let down, the dirty air has only gotten worse and worse as these cars mature. Hopefully the new regulations will reintroduce some overtake attempts around here in the future…
petebaldwin (@)
23rd May 2021, 15:47

I enjoyed it but I imagine this is going to get rated extremely low considering Hamilton was a non-factor. There’s never much (if any) overtaking but it was good to see some other names near the front, it was a great drive from Norris and Vettel. Shame Leclerc couldn’t start the race as it would have been great to see Max vs Leclerc.
1. petebaldwin (@)
  23rd May 2021, 15:52
  
  If Hamilton has an easy win, there are some on here who will always rate the race low. Equally, if Hamilton has a bad race, there are others who do the same.
  1. ttongsul (@ccpbioweapon)
    23rd May 2021, 17:16
    
    nonsense , don’t drag Lewis into this, the race was a joke. If Lewis did win it would be rated lower because the anti-HAM brigade would claim its too easy for him because his MERC spaceship is too dominant. How ironic that if he does not finish on the podium everyone whines that he is finished..
    
    “its great to see other names at the front” so you like random lottery races like the 2020 season?
    yes its nice to see different drivers get big points haul but i rather they earn it than at the expense of the other stronger teams DNF or having bad weekends setup wise
    
    i rate this race a 1 . I feel robbed of a nice Sunday watching this boring zzzz race
  2. Jason Blankenship (@jblank)
    23rd May 2021, 23:16
    
    I have a criteria. If Hamilton wins, subtract 3 from the score. Non-Merc winner, add one. Someone other than Merc and Red Bull on podium, add three points for each.
    
    So doing the math, this race got a 4.
    1. Esploratore (@esploratore)
      24th May 2021, 3:21
      
      It’s weird: non merc winner, you have a +1, 2 people from non merc and red bull on the podium, you’d have a +7, there’s no relation with that and 4.
2. pastaman (@)
  24th May 2021, 5:11
  
  Race is/was garbage, Hamilton has nothing to do with it
Facepalmer
23rd May 2021, 15:47

Had Lewis won, the results would be 1-3…
Nothing changed except the winner – we have seen no action or battles, and someone even votes 7…

What a *facepalm* hypocrisy
1. glynh (@glynh)
  23rd May 2021, 15:55
  
  Or maybe it’s nothing to do with Hamilton and people enjoy watching a mixed up podium and cars lapping close to the barriers around Monaco…
2. Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
  23rd May 2021, 16:18
  
  Had Lewis won the poll would have been better.
  Monaco this year jut looked too easy, Q was anti-climatic and the race quickly fell apart. In the past few super stale Monacos we had tension, this one was a walk in the park. F1 ended in 2010, this 2014 formula has no redeeming qualities
roodda (@roodda)
23rd May 2021, 15:48

The event is second to none, quali is fascinating, but F1 cars have outgrown Monaco on race day. A 4/10, with a few interesting moments with the pit stops
Albo94
23rd May 2021, 15:48

Highlight of the race: S. Williams holding the flag like a racket.
A solid 2/10
1. Horacio
  23rd May 2021, 15:52
  
  Serena’s input into an already dreadful race was appalling. You would think that the people invited to flag would take five minutes the day before to understand what is expected from them. Reminded me of Pelé missing the winner crossing the line at Interlagos.
  1. Andy
    23rd May 2021, 20:46
    
    The only time I yelled at the TV was to say “figure of eight! figure of eight! Gah!”
sumedh
23rd May 2021, 15:49

That was drowsy!

Thanks Mercedes for livening up a little.
MXMXD (@mxmxd)
23rd May 2021, 15:49

Good comedy value with BOT’s retirement. Otherwise, boring, no suspense whatsoever other than whether STR would come back ahead of OCO and GIO when he’d pit, which became really obvious he would when OCO started to lap at the same pace as MAZ
Horacio
23rd May 2021, 15:49

Utterly boring.
The race had two dramatic moments: the first was that the pole position winner was forced to retire before the race even started, and the second great moment happened when a driver stopped to swap tires and something on the wheel was broken.
What a joke.
1. Retired (@jeff1s)
  23rd May 2021, 19:54
  
  Following the sport since 1996 and currently watching Indy500 qualifying, i can only be laughing out loud at your comment… after laughing at above comments, so true.
F1 frog (@f1frog)
23rd May 2021, 15:49

I believe there were zero overtakes, so it can’t score too highly. I gave it a 5. Could have been so much better if Charles Leclerc had started from pole position.
1. Kyle (@hammerheadgb)
  23rd May 2021, 15:56
  
  Same score for the same rationale. There was at least some movement up and down the field as the under/overcut strategies played out, and the drama of Bottas’ race disintegrating in the pit lane. But no overtakes after lap 1 does cap the score.
2. Racer (@racer)
  23rd May 2021, 15:58
  
  @f1frog How bad would a race have to be for you to rate it less than 5?
  1. Plossl (@)
    23rd May 2021, 16:10
    
    Every Car breaks down with engine failure before turn one perhaps?
  2. F1 frog (@f1frog)
    23rd May 2021, 16:11
    
    @racer I don’t know. I always enjoy the races. I think the last time a Grand Prix finished and I genuinely thought it had been a dull race was France 2019, and even that had a thrilling final lap. Before that it would probably be China 2019, and before that Japan 2016.
    1. S
      23rd May 2021, 16:22
      
      What if there was a reverse grid?
      1. F1 frog (@f1frog)
        23rd May 2021, 16:35
        
        I feel like we’ve been here before ;)
        
        I’m sure today’s race would have been a lot more exciting if there was a reverse grid, but it would not be worth it for F1, the top level of motorsport, to lose its purity and become the same as every other motorsport series. F1 is unique, and should stay that way. Sometimes we get boring races now, but they really don’t happen too often.
      2. Plossl (@)
        23rd May 2021, 16:59
        
        Still be the same but 10 minutes longer
      3. S
        23rd May 2021, 17:09
        
        @f1frog Yes, I was being playfully provocative :)
        In all seriousness though, it could be said that that purity is what has driven today’s score as low as it is.
        
        Given that Monaco is pretty universally viewed as a unique event, would it not make sense to have a unique set of challenges here? The current format clearly doesn’t work with these cars, and the next set of cars won’t solve these problems here, either.
3. jamt
  23rd May 2021, 16:00
  
  There was one overtake at lap 1.
4. Patrick
  23rd May 2021, 19:48
  
  You have to pay better attention. There was actually 2 overtakes. Quiz of the day. Who overtook who?
  1. melanos
    24th May 2021, 0:10
    
    Mick to Nikita and I missed the other one. But I gather that Alonso made two overtakes on the start
    1. melanos
      24th May 2021, 0:42
      
      Besides Mick to Nikita in the hairpin, there were 5 overtakes in lap one:
      Stroll and Kimi on Dan Ric
      Alonso on Tsunoda and Russell
      Latifi on Tsunoda
      For a grand total of six. Plus a few good overcuts
Khalid (@leblep)
23rd May 2021, 15:49

This was not really a race, was it? Not a single overtake (apart from Schumacher on Mazepin on the opening lap if I am not mistaken), there was basically no chance for the chasing car to overtake. Lewis on a much faster car giving up on overtaking the car ahead and pitting for fastest lap.. Maybe it is time to let go of this track
1. Esploratore (@esploratore)
  24th May 2021, 3:25
  
  No! Then drivers won’t get the triple crown any more!
2. Esploratore (@esploratore)
  24th May 2021, 3:26
  
  Plus, now I think about it, look at how mercedes performs at monaco compared to the other circuits over the last few years: some tabu track is needed, they’re strong enough as is.
Jay
23rd May 2021, 15:50

F1 needs tyres of 2010 (super hard) for qualifying and of 2011 (softs) for the races and do away with mandatory stops.
1. Todfod (@todfod)
  23rd May 2021, 18:13
  
  Even that wouldn’t make a difference at Monaco. Even if the car in front didn’t have wheels on, the driver behind wouldn’t be able to overtake
  1. Esploratore (@esploratore)
    24th May 2021, 3:27
    
    But a few years ago they were able to overtake, what changed? Schumacher and coulthard made incredible recoveries in the 2000s, and even verstappen recovered well in more recent times in 2018.
Miltiadis (@miltosgreekfan)
23rd May 2021, 15:50

It’s the usual every year,a stunning Saturday and a horrendous Sunday. I personally didn’t enjoy this one at all, so i gave it an 3/10.

In the pre-hybrid era, with Kers being a factor, at least we could see some moves into the Fairmont hairpin…
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
23rd May 2021, 15:51

I think I just scraped the race off the sole of my shoe.

That’s how bad it was.
1. Esploratore (@esploratore)
  24th May 2021, 3:28
  
  Ahah, that’s a fun one.
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
23rd May 2021, 15:51

Normally around this time I’d be grateful for the Indy 500 coming up in a few hours, but we don’t even have that this year!

Pretty dreary even by Monaco standards, made all the more frustrating when you just know that watching Verstappen relentlessly attacking Leclerc all afternoon would have been a good watch.
Pedro (@pedrike)
23rd May 2021, 15:52

Boring, aside from a few diferent strategies on track
Plossl (@)
23rd May 2021, 15:52

In 32 years of watching F1 this was the first race Ive ever switched off at half way and just kept half an ear on it with the radio, and Monaco is one of my favourite tracks as well…
1. Ryj99
  23rd May 2021, 16:53
  
  What about countless other boring races that have come before just like this one, including most other Monaco additions? It was suddenly just this one out of the blue that turned you off after 32 years?
2. Alex
  23rd May 2021, 17:02
  
  Then what were you expecting? To me it was just an average Monaco race.
  1. Plossl (@)
    23rd May 2021, 17:49
    
    This was far from an average Monaco, not even a single car trying different lines to be a distraction in the mirrors of the car in front, let alone a sniff of a divebomb into a corner (first lap MSC was just the whole pack bunching up at hairpin, if he hadnt of divebombed He probably of run into the back of Him), like I say I normally enjoy Monaco but I found myself looking at the rain through the window at times till I switched off and just half listened to the radio, even they struggled and ended up talking about how to remove screws that have there heads sheared off after BOT’s pitstop.
JL (@j-l)
23rd May 2021, 15:52

I mean, a classic boring Monaco race, but I actually rather enjoyed the strategy battles today. We have seen overcuts as well for once.
1. glynh (@glynh)
  23rd May 2021, 15:57
  
  That sums it up for me, not great racing but very tense with the strategy and cars will always look spectacular around Monaco.
  1. JL (@j-l)
    23rd May 2021, 17:12
    
    @glynh Exactly! I am happy to have this one dull race during the season. The quali is season’s best, I quite like the whole spectacle, and the onboards are truly mesmerizing and make me appreciate the drivers’ skill. To me, the pros outweigh the cons. It’s just part of the F1 circus and it wouldn’t be the same without it.
Will Bryan (@willbryan)
23rd May 2021, 15:56

Absolute garbage. Zero on track overtakes.
1. Patrick
  23rd May 2021, 19:54
  
  Zero on track overtakes. If that is what you think then you obviously weren’t watching the same race as everybody else.
  1. Esploratore (@esploratore)
    24th May 2021, 3:31
    
    Well, do overtakes on lap 1 count? Do overcuts count? To me there were 0.
David (@djarvis)
23rd May 2021, 15:56

Not the best race but I’ve watched worse races at Abu Dhabi, Paul Ricard and Barcelona.
Drama before the race, pit stop drama, intriguin

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2021 Monaco Grand Prix

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144 comments on “Rate the race: 2021 Monaco Grand Prix”