What the teams said – Race day in Monaco

Mercedes

Antonelli was one of very few drivers to have a relatively trouble-free Grand Prix in Monaco as he galloped to a fifth straight win in emphatic style. He led from the start and built a commanding advantage over Hamilton behind. Despite that lead disappearing under the Safety Car, he managed both that restart and the red flag restart perfectly to lead from start to finish, extending his lead in the standings to a mighty 66 points.

Russell’s afternoon was significantly more difficult. He was stuck behind Hadjar in the early stages, and was then pinged for speeding in the pit lane, earning himself a five-second penalty. After being bottled up behind Norris, he then pitted under the Safety Car and did not serve his penalty. That earned him a drive-through, which he did not receive until the red flag period – and thus had to serve it after the restart when the field was closely packed.

That cost him any chance of points as his championship challenge took another hit.

Kimi Antonelli, 1st

"It’s an incredible feeling to win in Monaco. It’s such a special weekend and one I’ll remember for a long time. Today was one of those days where everything just clicked; I had a lot of confidence in the car, felt strong throughout, and to bring the win home in a place like this makes it even more meaningful.

"From a race perspective, there were definitely some key moments to manage. The starts are still an area we’re working on, but I’ve made good progress. My first one was solid, and although the second was a bit more challenging with the tyres, it’s positive to see improvement.

"The red flag added a bit of stress, especially knowing the restart could change everything, but we handled it well. In the final laps, I really enjoyed myself out there, even though I still had to carefully manage the tyres. This track demands a lot of focus, you have to find the right balance between pushing and not making mistakes, and once you settle into that rhythm, everything starts to come together.

"At the same time, I know there’s still a lot to learn and improve. I just want to keep pushing, keep building on this momentum, and most importantly, keep enjoying the journey. That’s what makes moments like this so rewarding."

George Russell, 12th

"Firstly, congratulations to Kimi. He did an amazing job today and over the weekend and is a well-deserving winner. On my side, the race was very difficult. I had managed to get to P4 but the penalty for speeding in the pitlane is difficult to understand. I was under the limit but then that was compounded by us not serving the penalty at my second stop; that ultimately cost me a lot and left me with zero points again.

"It’s tough to take but I’m not going to give up. Across the last two races, I’ve effectively lost around 40 points. It’s incredibly frustrating but the rest of the season can still look very different. We saw that last year and, in many seasons previous. It’s unfortunate how things have played out so far but I’m aiming to bounce back in Barcelona. I believe in myself and I know what I’m capable of."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"Kimi delivered a very controlled race from start to finish today. It was a clean start, strong pace, and above all, very mature driving. It’s exactly what you want to see, and he was a well-deserving winner. Congratulations to him and the team.

"On George’s side, he had done a good job to get back into the battle for the podium but was unfortunate to receive a pitlane speeding penalty. That undid his race unfortunately and the subsequent drive-through penalty for not serving the penalty correctly ended with him out of the points. He has not felt fully confident in the car this weekend and that is on us as a team. We win and lose together, and this is something we will learn from and help him recover from.

"In terms of the bigger picture, we’re not talking about the championship at this stage. There are still many races to go, and while it’s been a positive start overall, we’ll take it step-by- step and see where we stand as the season develops."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"Congratulations to Kimi and the team. Winning in Monaco is always a special feeling and one that never comes easy. He had strong pace throughout and allowed us to control an unpredictable and difficult race.

"George had an unfortunate weekend where few things went his way. He had done a good job to get into a position where he would have been fighting for a podium, however his race unravelled after receiving a penalty for speeding in the pitlane. The timing of the Safety Car posed a challenge to the team to co-ordinate the double stack with little time to react. Having failed to correctly serve the penalty at his second stop, George was handed a drive-through penalty. After the red flag had brought the field together, it turned what would have been a couple of positions dropped into finishing outside of the points. We will analyse our communication and processes to become more resilient to similar situations in future.

"Whilst we leave here with mixed feelings, we can be content with the work done to produce a car that is capable of winning at a unique circuit like this where we have struggled in recent years. We now move on to Barcelona and a very different track; we will be doing everything we can to carry on this run of form."

Ferrari

There were contrasting fortunes at Ferrari in Monaco. Hamilton was running second and Leclerc third in the early stages, but the former picked up a five-place penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The team then pitted both drivers again under the Safety Car, letting Hamilton serve his penalty, which kept him ahead of Leclerc on the road – despite the Monegasque driver having closed to just three seconds behind prior to the Safety Car being called.

But in the end that moment did not matter, as Leclerc crashed late on and failed to finish his home race, blaming his brakes as he ran straight on at the final corner. Hamilton came home second, for a record-equalling eighth Monaco podium.

Lewis Hamilton, 2nd

"It’s great to be back on the podium in Monaco and to finish in P2 for the second race in a row and to be able to share it with Kimi (Antonelli) for his first win here. This race is always one of the toughest of the season and today’s conditions made it even more challenging, so finishing in second is a really encouraging result and just shows the momentum we are building as a team. We are continuing to make solid progress and I’m grateful for the work everyone is putting in, both here at the track and back in Maranello. There’s still a step to make before we can consistently fight for victories, but I know we will keep pushing hard to get there."

Charles Leclerc, DNF

"Finishing my home race like this is disappointing. I had an issue with my rear brakes in the last corner and hit the wall. The positive to take from this weekend is that we have a solution in place and will adjust the configuration of my brakes."

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

"We have to stay positive because, overall, this has been another strong weekend for us. Lewis secured his second consecutive podium and I think he achieved the maximum that was available with our package today. Over the last few races we have seen him growing in confidence and feeling more comfortable in the car, which is encouraging and reflects the progress we are making as a team.

"For Charles, it was obviously a very frustrating outcome. We experienced brake issues throughout the weekend and something was clearly not working as it should. We will analyse the situation carefully, understand exactly what happened and make sure we address it before Barcelona. Charles was in a strong position and it's disappointing to lose those points, especially in his home race.

"We need to keep our focus on ourselves, continue working hard and maximise every opportunity. The mood within the team is positive, the direction is the right one and we have another opportunity in just a few days' time to keep moving forward."

Red Bull

Verstappen’s race was over at a very early stage as the Dutchman failed to get off the grid cleanly. Although he did eventually get his RB22 moving, he dropped to the back of the field and pulled in at the end of the first lap to retire the car. That left Hadjar to fly the flag for the team – something he was doing well despite constantly complaining about a lack of power, shifting issues and a whole host of other problems.

He lost out to Russell in the first pit stop period, but got back ahead of his rival by not stopping under the first Safety Car. He lost a couple of places at the red flag restart as his lack of power continued to be an issue, but inherited a podium when Gasly’s penalties were applied.

Hadjar was investigated post-race for a red flag infringement, thanks to the team not conforming to the allowed car changes under red flag conditions. But fortunately for Hadjar, no further action was taken.

Max Verstappen, DNF

“We don’t know what happened today but we think the issue was due to an engine problem. During the formation lap I could feel that something was off and the pre-start was terrible. There was no consistency and then, at the start, the engine just dropped out. I dropped the clutch and it went dead and had no power. When I got a bit more power back, unfortunately it was messed up so I had to bring it back slowly. It was such a shame for us as everything was going really well up to that point. We felt great in the car all weekend and to come out with no points and to finish the race like this when you do everything so well as a Team is of course disappointing."

Isack Hadjar, 3rd

“It’s been an outstanding result and weekend considering how it started in FP1! The race was difficult and I had to dig very deep. We got off to a clean start and were managing our race, and then within the first 10 to 15 laps I started having big drivability issues. If there’s one track you don’t want that, it’s here, so that was incredibly challenging having to cover 60 laps. There was then uncertainty about what was going to happen with the red flag and you need to get your head back again in focus. Even towards the end, I was still lacking power on the restart. It really was the longest race of my life but now it’s finished we got the podium. Whatever happens with the stewards, it’s now completely out of my control. I celebrated and had my podium and I will always have that. My moment with the lads. Huge thank you to the Team, I trust these guys. Whatever happens, the emotions on the podium have already happened and I am proud of the Team."

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal

"Mixed emotions today, as Isack and the Team did a great job to get him to the podium, overcoming some technical issues on the car, but on the other side of the garage, we lost Max’s car straightaway with an engine issue. It was hard to take as he had incredible pace all weekend. It’s frustrating when you miss out on a big points score, but that’s part of the game, and we can only apology to him. For Isack it was a very intense battle in the car considering the number of issues he had to deal with. It was also an intense battle for the team in the garage as they worked to keep his car alive to the finish. In that context, making it to the podium is a very strong result. The most important lesson we take away from Monaco is that the underlying performance of the car keeps improving."

McLaren

Norris lost out to Gasly at the start, being out-dragged by the Frenchman up the hill on the opening lap. Despite pressuring the Alpine man, he could not find a way past in the opening stages. He then ran into trouble with his power unit, and while he continued for a few laps, the issue returned and he was forced to retire.

Piastri had a quieter race in comparison, and was one of many to pick up a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Unlike Russell, he did serve his under the Safety Car and thus was free to race until the finish where he came home a credible fourth.

Lando Norris, DNF

"It wasn’t our weekend and, unfortunately, it’s another DNF for the team. We faced issues from Friday that had the team working until 4:00AM into Saturday to get the car back on track, only to encounter another problem in the race. It’s tough and frustrating for everyone because we’re putting in a huge effort to improve, but at the moment reliability is getting the better of us.

"We’ll keep our heads up and stay positive. We know the areas we need to address, and reliability is top of the list. The team deserves credit for their commitment, and we’ll keep working hard for them. I’m hopeful we can return to form in Barcelona, give ourselves something to be excited about, and show what we can do next time out."

Oscar Piastri, 4th

"When you make up three spots in Monaco, that's always a good day. Whilst I didn't do the overtaking myself, we did a good job of taking advantage of things playing out ahead of us and being smart with the strategy. Getting those 12 points was important.

"However, our pace wasn't very strong today and we need to work out why we have struggled so much this weekend. Looking ahead to Barcelona and further on into the season, we have a lot of work to do to close the gap to the front runners. Thanks to the team for their work, let's see what we can do next weekend."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

"Today was, unfortunately, another race of two halves for the team. Frustratingly, Lando’s race ended in retirement on Lap 45. We identified an anomaly with the power unit that had not presented itself prior to the race. We attempted to manage it through mitigation steps and setting adjustments, which allowed us to keep the car out for a few more laps, but it ultimately proved to be a terminal issue.

"As we navigate this new generation of power units, there is naturally a learning curve. Our integration and collaboration with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains is excellent, and we will work methodically together to resolve these emerging technical challenges. The positive takeaway is that this was likely the final scheduled race for this specific power unit, so we do not anticipate any major implications for Lando's season allocation moving forward.

"On the other side of the garage, Oscar drove an exceptionally precise and controlled race. He kept it clean, made almost no mistakes, and executed our plan perfectly. I also want to commend our strategy team for a brilliant call to pit under the Safety Car, which effectively cleared his penalty.

"Despite the positive operational and strategic decisions, we have to be honest with ourselves regarding our underlying pace. Today, Ferrari and Mercedes were operating in a completely different dimension. It is clear that McLaren has a significant amount of work to do back at the factory to make the car fundamentally faster and more reliable. We will review the weekend, focus on our development, and keep pushing forward.

"Luckily, we now head straight back to track in Barcelona next weekend. After Canada, it has been clear that our current package does not lend itself to circuits with the characteristics present there and in Monaco. As we head to Spain, we hope to find a circuit which better lends itself to the strengths of the MCL40, but remain realistic about the strength of the competition. The Spanish GP is another opportunity, and one we look forward to tackling head on."

Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls had a tense time of it before the race even began, having to fix issues on both cars and only just getting Lawson’s car to the grid on time. But from there, the New Zealander was able to hold onto his top 10 slot through all the restarts, keeping out of trouble to grab his best-ever Grand Prix finish in fifth.

Lindblad likewise grabbed a best P6 as one of those to benefit from the red flag period. He had not pitted when the race was halted and thus was able to swap tyres for free, and then managed the restart perfectly to tail his team mate home for a double points score for the team.

Arvid Lindblad, 6th

"I’m incredibly happy with today’s result. It was beyond anything I could have imagined after yesterday, so a massive thank you to everyone here at the track, the team in Faenza and Milton Keynes. They’ve done a phenomenal job, and for us to come away with a double points finish is a huge achievement. The first stint felt really long, I spent most of it in traffic and was focused on managing the tyres as best as I could. We were able to capitalise on the red flag, which turned out to be a massive opportunity, and in the end the restart was probably the most important part of the race for us. From there, I was just concentrating on making no mistakes and bringing the car home over the final few laps. All focus is on Barcelona now, which is a track I’ve always really enjoyed and I’m looking forward to it.”

Liam Lawson, 5th

"I'm very, very happy with today. It's a great result for the team ending in P5 and P6, particularly given where we started at the beginning of the weekend. Races can feel pretty unpredictable at the moment, with cars being forced to retire, so it's important that we capitalise on those moments when they happen. I honestly enjoyed the race so much and the team worked incredibly hard to deliver a quick car today, so I'm super grateful to be ending the weekend on a high."

Alan Permane, Team Principal

"I’m extremely happy for everyone involved in this wonderful team of ours. Firstly, the drivers didn’t put a foot wrong in the race, Arvid played the team game for us and Liam executed everything perfectly. Double points and two career-best results is something they can be proud of. We had some issues with the cars with only half an hour to go and the mechanics performed fantastically getting the cars back together again in time. The engineers did an awesome job getting the car in the right window and Red Bull Ford Powertrains were incredible; we didn’t have to speak about the power unit this weekend and that’s a compliment to them, it just worked as and when needed it to and we were able to get just get on with the job. Finally, all of the people back at our bases in Milton Keynes and Faenza have delivered such an excellent car - without that we don’t have anything, it all starts from there. Everyone in the whole organisation did a stellar job today and we leave Monaco with a result that everyone in the team has earned.”

Alpine

There was heartbreak for Gasly in Monaco, as the Frenchman lost out on a podium. He was running in the points for the whole race, and climbed up to third on the road amidst all the chaos. But he picked up two separate five-second penalties for speeding in the pit lane and was only told about them after he crossed the line. That dropped him from third to seventh.

Colapinto had a harder afternoon, stuck in traffic for much of it. He also had a time penalty for speeding, but there was no further action taken for his late contact with an ailing Sainz.

Pierre Gasly, 7th

“I am absolutely heartbroken by the outcome of today's race. I have so many emotions right now, not only after such a challenging weekend where you are on the limit so often and pushing so much, but also to have a lifelong dream of a Monaco podium taken away from me for reasons which I just cannot comprehend. I know I was under the pit lane speed limit and activated it much before the line. We also have margin for these occurrences to not go over, so I just hope they can review it properly and give us back the result all of us at the team deserve. It's certainly unusual that so many drivers and teams were caught out by it today so something clearly is not right. I knew the situation when we stopped for the red flag and I just tried to push as hard as I could to maximise the end result, knowing the penalty was going to be applied. In terms of the race, it was busy and hard fought. We managed to overtake Lando [Norris] at Turn 1 and then had to defend hard from him for most of the race. At the second restart I passed Isack [Hadjar] on the outside, so definitely a race I am proud with and one where the team did a very good job. I know the team has lodged a Right of Review, so hopefully we will seek the right outcome. I will take a few days to relax at home and then switch focus to Barcelona where I will definitely stay motivated for another good result to keep up our points-scoring run."

Franco Colapinto, 14th

“It was not the best result today and I'm not satisfied with how the weekend has gone as a whole. Coming off the back of some good results and a good feeling in the car in recent races, things really didn't click here and we will work hard with the team between races to understand more why that was. I was struggling with the balance and confidence under braking with locking and we never really recovered. We knew it would be tough starting further back and there are limited options in Monaco to make much forward progress. We boxed in the middle of the race and lost some place to those who pitted earlier and used the undercut. The safety car and red flag meant we lost all track position and the race was effectively neutralised. We knew we were carrying a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, like a number of other cars. After the standing restart, it was all very messy and I was pushed wide by one of the Aston Martins and broke my front wing. We were all avoiding one of the Williams who was going slow on the racing line after the hairpin and I touched Carlos [Sainz], so sorry for him. Overall, it was a long and frustrating race, and weekend as a whole, and we have to work hard to come back stronger in Barcelona in a few days' time.”

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor

“After a great start from Pierre that put us in seventh place, the race was looking promising. In spite of the great restart after the red flag and Pierre finishing third on the road, we saw the result being taken away by two penalties, which we strongly disagree with. These penalties were inflicted to at least four teams on the grid, which makes it a strong case for review. As such, we have requested a Right of Review with the FIA. We maintain fifth position in the Constructors' Championship, and we are determined to keep the teams' positive momentum in Barcelona and at the upcoming races with more performance and updates being brought to the car.”

Williams

There were plenty of fraught moments for Williams in Monaco, as team orders came into play. Albon was running in P10 thanks to Verstappen’s retirement, with Sainz in P11. With the former having pitted, the team swapped their drivers so that Albon could back up the pack and enable Sainz to pit and hold position.

That frustrated the Thai driver, who lost out to Lindblad in that period. Once Sainz did pit, the team managed to swap the duo back around and from there Albon was able to come home in the points. Sainz should have followed him, but he was tagged into the wall by Hulkenberg at the red flag restart as the bunch came through the hairpin. He was trying to limp back when Colapinto caught the back of his Williams and sent him spinning into retirement.

Alex Albon, 8th

“Tough afternoon overall but it's good to get a few points. We were quick at the beginning of the race, and then from Lap 15 onwards we were managing a deployment issue that we couldn't fix, unfortunately. We were playing some team games trying to build a gap for both Carlos and me, but it made us vulnerable with track position. I was trying to defend against Lindblad but couldn't hold him off as I was losing time down the straights managing our issue. It was a messy race with the red flag and restarts, but ultimately, I think this has been my cleanest race weekend this year and I felt more in the rhythm and in tune with the car. We'll debrief, reset, spend some time in the SIM, and go again in Barcelona next weekend."

Carlos Sainz, DNF

“We had managed the race well and I had very good pace in general until the red flag and restart. It’s difficult to digest getting hit in that corner on a restart to be honest, but there is nothing I could do unfortunately. It’s frustrating to end the weekend like that and to throw away points, especially after the team have worked so hard to develop the car and move us forward into point scoring positions more consistently. Yeah, it’s frustrating, but we’ll try to look at the positives and go again in Barcelona.”

James Vowles, Team Principal

“It’s great to score points in Monaco in difficult circumstances. Well done to Alex for getting through what was a tough race, suffering a number of issues with deployment. It was also great work from the team to execute a strong strategy to allow the drivers to be fighting into the points, but it’s disappointing for Carlos as his pace was exceptional, being right where he needed to be to bring more points to the table. Bigger picture, we've made progress from Japan across Miami, Montreal, and now here, and we're now able to knock on the door of points most weekends. We need to make further steps to move ahead of Alpine and VCARB but I'm confident we have what it takes in the pipeline to do so. Barcelona next, we need to keep the momentum and continue stepping forward."

Haas

Ocon and Bearman tangled on the opening lap, the latter tapping his team mate from behind. That caused Bearman to pit for a new front wing, which dropped him down the order. Unfortunately for him, there was further damage and he was called in to retire the care.

Ocon though was able to continue. He by and large kept out of trouble, pitting for hard tyres before swapping to the softs under the red flag. He was the beneficiary of Sainz and Hulkenberg’s late contact, picking up P10 as the Spaniard went backwards, before gaining another place when the Audi man was handed a penalty.

Esteban Ocon, 9th

“We got everything right, we made the right calls, and the strategy was great. We managed to keep out of trouble with the last corner as well, which was tricky. It was very tough, but I did it for this team. After 20 laps, I thought I couldn’t finish the race, but then we got to the end in P9. It’s very well deserved, I’m super happy, it shows you should never give up. On a track where it’s very difficult to overtake, you never know what’s going to happen.”

Oliver Bearman, DNF

“It’s been a challenging weekend in general, even though the car showed great pace in qualifying, it’s a lot of what could’ve been. After a qualifying like yesterday, it’s tough to do anything around here, and that was proven right, it was a horrible day out there. I got damage and needed to pit on Lap 1, so we needed a miracle after that, and I didn’t get it, but I’m glad we scored points with Esteban. I’m excited to reset for Barcelona next week.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“It’s been a really tough weekend, with some really bad luck, but this proves that you should never give up until the very end. Esteban and Ollie touching each other on Lap 1, causing Ollie’s front wing damage, it wasn’t an ideal start. Ollie couldn’t really do anything from there on, and he was struggling with a brake issue, so we had to retire him. With Esteban, we kept chipping away, and with what was happening in front with Williams, there wasn’t a whole lot we could do, but we focused on only what we could control. We executed well, and we’ve come out of it with P9 – what this team deserves. I think we could’ve done a lot more with the speed we had, but I’m really happy we got something to give back to this team.”

Aston Martin

Stroll did not see the chequered flag in Monaco after hitting the barriers late on. That ended his afternoon and brought out the first Safety Car.

As for Alonso, he largely kept out of trouble to climb to a P11 finish – his best of the season – which became 10th thanks to Perez's post-race penalty. A finish of that sort looked unlikely when he stopped early for soft tyres, almost guaranteeing a second stop but fortunately for the Spaniard, the late combination of Safety Cars and red flags meant a cheap second stop, and he then kept his head amidst the chaos to bag a first point of the season.

Fernando Alonso, 10th

“I took a lot of risk on lap one and at the restart, and just tried to consolidate whatever position we were in. It was so difficult out there today, but we went aggressive with the strategy, stopping on lap three, and we were thinking to go until the end of the race with just one stop. The red flag restart helped, and we made sure to take the opportunities that were available to us. So I think we managed the race quite well and it was a nice reward for everybody in the team to score our first point of the year.”

Lance Stroll, DNF

“We’ve been dealing with these drivability issues all season, and it was the same again this weekend. The acceleration and deceleration just isn’t consistent, and it changes from one corner to the next. At most circuits you’ve got some run-off to work with, so you can manage it, but around here the walls are really close and any issue can put you into the barrier. That was also a big reason why I was getting picked up for track limits. We’ll take a closer look after the race, and the team will keep pushing for improvements ahead of Barcelona next week.”

Mike Krack, Chief Trackside Officer

“It proved to be a typical race of attrition in Monaco, which helped us progress to our best result of the year with Fernando in P10 – our first point scored with Honda. It was not an easy weekend, and the car has been difficult to drive, but we knew there could be opportunities, and we were there when it mattered at the end. The retirement of Lance is something we are investigating. He has been suffering with problems in the deceleration phase of corners, which seems to have contributed to the crash at Turn 19. The track breaking up may have played a part too.”

Audi

Audi’s afternoon did not get off to the best of starts when an issue struck Bortoleto’s car at the end of the pit lane. He was wheeled back and thus could not start from his grid slot, but he did at least manage to start the race from the pits. That left him toiling from the back, and he did well to climb up as high as he did.

Hulkenberg though looked on for points after benefitting from Russell’s late penalty to cross the line in ninth. However, at the red flag restart, the German looked to struggle with understeer around the hairpin and pushed Sainz into the barriers. The stewards gave him a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision, which dropped him to P13.

Nico Hulkenberg, 13th

"It's a disappointing way to end the weekend. For a while it looked like we made our way into the points, but the penalty put an end to that. After the restart, with only a handful of laps remaining, it was always going to get quite intense. I had to react to avoid the car ahead and moved to the inside, but once I was there, I was at full lock and there wasn't really anywhere else for me to go. Carlos was on the outside and we made contact. It's frustrating because the pace we showed earlier in the weekend was encouraging, but unfortunately, we weren't able to convert that into a result”

Gabriel Bortoleto, 11th

“My race was effectively compromised before it really began. I had an issue as I was preparing for my practice starts and the car shut off: the crew did a great job to get it going again, but I had to start from the pitlane, and around Monaco that makes life very difficult. Once you are caught in traffic, opportunities are extremely limited and I spent most of the race unable to make progress.

“That was disappointing, and it added to the frustration from yesterday’s qualifying. The positive is that we showed good pace and a good package over the weekend. I think the team did a great job overall this weekend and would have deserved a lot more for it: to have both cars reach the finish is positive, and the crew did an excellent job overnight to repair the damage from qualifying and get my car ready to race. There are lessons to take away, but I am encouraged by what we achieved as a team and by the progress we continue to make.”

Allan McNish, Racing Director

"We know that, in Monaco, qualifying and grid position largely dictate the outcome of the race, and unfortunately we started today out of position relative to the pace we had in the car. “Gabriel's car stopped on the way to the grid, which meant he had to start from the pit lane. From there, it became a race of attrition, and we were looking for any opportunities that might come our way, knowing how difficult overtaking is around Monaco. He kept pushing throughout and gained valuable experience on a challenging weekend.

“On Nico’s side, we showed good pace and made an early switch to the hard tyre; in clean air, he showed very strong pace but once he caught up with the back of the midfield pack there was little opportunity to make progress. The red flag reshuffled the race, and, after the restart, he was involved in an incident at the hairpin that resulted in a 10-second penalty. It was a harsh outcome given the circumstances, particularly as it ultimately cost him a points finish after a determined drive.

“The result doesn't reflect the pace we showed this weekend, but there are positives to take forward as we focus on the next race.”

Cadillac

Perez’s day got off to a bad start when he pulled into Bortoleto’s empty grid slot after the formation lap and thus earned himself a drive-through penalty. Despite that, he managed to climb back up the order and finished 11th on the road – which became P10 when Hulkenberg’s late penalty was applied.

But the Mexican was investigated for a second start infringement, this time at the red flag restart. He was handed a 10-second time penalty and as a result, dropped from P10 to P15.

Bottas failed to see the flag in Monaco, overheating brakes the cause of his early retirement.

Valtteri Bottas, DNF

“We knew going into the race that the brake temperatures could be an issue. Even with a lot of management from the first lap, we couldn't keep the temperatures under control, so we had to retire the car. It’s been a challenging weekend at a unique circuit but we’re still seeing positive glimpses. It’s another event we can learn from with the aim of improving and preventing these kinds of issues going ahead.”

Sergio Perez, 15th

“An amazing thing for the team. It was such a very tricky race out there with the vibrations – at some points we thought about retiring the car as it was so hard – but we didn’t give up, we kept pushing, kept our head down and the race presented us with another opportunity to go for it. I had a poor restart but a tremendous first lap and overtook a lot of cars and in the end we finished P10 on the road. It was a shame with the penalty as we didn’t get any benefit from the restart, but that’s how it is – it doesn’t detract from the result today.”

Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal

“To finish 10th on the road is an incredible testament to the resolve of the team to keep fighting until the end. After the red flag restart, Checo drove fantastically well to make up several positions on the road – it was a real shame that the penalty dropped us back as he fought like he was going for the win. Valtteri had to retire the car, but his luck will change and it will come to him. I want to thank absolutely everyone in the team for all of their hard work. We’ve got some real momentum behind us now and we can’t wait to get back on track.”

Pirelli

Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director

“Today the drivers did not hold back on track and tried to extract the maximum from their cars. This is reflected in the levels of tyre degradation observed, which were higher than in previous days and, in some cases, led to performance drop-offs. The decision not to preserve the tyres probably pushed teams towards more conservative strategic choices. Almost everyone opted to start on the Medium, before choosing the Hard for the second stint. However, some long runs on the Soft, such as those completed by Aston Martin, clearly showed that the red tyre could be a valid alternative. The Soft was also the option chosen by everyone for the restart. The driver who made the best use of all three compounds was the winner himself, Kimi Antonelli, who set the fastest times of the Grand Prix on Hard, Medium and Soft, dominating the race as well. Overall, the drivers managed to bring the tyres up to temperature more easily, perhaps thanks to the continuous laps around the circuit. The limiting axle was obviously the rear, due to the numerous traction phases during the race, and it was also the most prone to wear. It was an interesting event, especially in the second half, which was full of twists and featured a new grid restart.”