2021 Monaco Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 returned to Monte Carlo for the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix after a year away, and the principality delivered a weekend packed with twists. Charles Leclerc brought Ferrari a home pole, but race-day heartbreak opened the door for Max Verstappen, who claimed his first Monaco victory and moved to the top of the championship.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 23 May 2021
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit de Monaco
Laps: 78 laps
Circuit length: 3.337 km
2019 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
Time	1:10.346
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:12.909 on lap 69
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari
Third	Lando Norris	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
20 May 2021	Practice 1	11:30 – 12:30
20 May 2021	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:00
22 May 2021	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
22 May 2021	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
23 May 2021	Race	15:00

All times are local (UTC+02:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Hamilton’s Barcelona victory had extended his lead to 14 points, but Monaco’s narrow streets offered a very different challenge from the previous rounds. Track position was at a premium, Ferrari looked increasingly competitive and McLaren arrived in a special Gulf-inspired livery. Williams also marked its 750th race start, adding another historical milestone to a weekend at one of the sport’s most recognisable venues.

Race entries

All 20 regular drivers were entered, with no practice-only or race substitutes. The event followed Monaco’s traditional timetable, with the first two practice sessions taking place on Thursday before the action resumed on Saturday.

Free Practice

Sergio Perez topped FP1 with a 1:12.487, ahead of Carlos Sainz (+0.119s) and Max Verstappen. Perez led the opening session as teams rebuilt their rhythm around Monaco’s barriers. Leclerc’s running was curtailed by a gearbox issue.

Charles Leclerc topped FP2 with a 1:11.684, ahead of Carlos Sainz (+0.112s) and Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari responded strongly in FP2, with Leclerc and Sainz taking the first two places and underlining the team’s genuine pace on the street circuit.

Max Verstappen topped FP3 with a 1:11.294, ahead of Carlos Sainz (+0.047s) and Charles Leclerc. Verstappen led final practice, but Schumacher’s heavy accident left Haas unable to repair his car in time for qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 Monaco Grand Prix FP1, 20 May 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:12.487	36
2	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.119s	32
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.161s	39
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.442s	37
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.508s	34
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.644s	36
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.749s	31
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.245s	33
9	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.259s	39
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.594s	31
11	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.603s	33
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.619s	27
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.718s	37
14	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.781s	41
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.794s	36
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.833s	37
17	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.129s	33
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.314s	35
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.353s	35
20	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+7.131s	4

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 Monaco Grand Prix FP2, 20 May 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:11.684	30
2	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.112s	32
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.390s	28
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.397s	27
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.423s	32
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.695s	24
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.814s	28
8	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+1.024s	24
9	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.062s	28
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.298s	26
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.381s	31
12	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.491s	27
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.511s	26
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.515s	28
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.573s	26
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.825s	32
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.909s	31
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.723s	26
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.732s	25
20	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+3.145s	11

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 Monaco Grand Prix FP3, 22 May 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:11.294	19
2	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.047s	28
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.258s	27
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.471s	21
5	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.523s	18
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.694s	20
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.726s	20
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.004s	25
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.063s	28
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.243s	24
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.245s	21
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.406s	22
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.665s	25
14	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.845s	21
15	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+2.035s	19
16	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.096s	20
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.153s	29
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.181s	22
19	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+2.228s	30
20	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+2.320s	18

Qualifying

Charles Leclerc secured pole position with a 1:10.346, but his session ended against the barriers as he crashed on his final Q3 attempt. The resulting red flag prevented rivals from completing their last improvements, leaving Max Verstappen second and Valtteri Bottas third.

Carlos Sainz backed up Ferrari‘s pace in fourth, with Lando Norris fifth and Pierre Gasly sixth. Lewis Hamilton could manage only seventh, leaving the championship leader with a difficult task at a circuit where passing is notoriously hard. Mick Schumacher did not participate after his practice accident and required permission from the stewards to start.

Qualifying Classification

2021 Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, 22 May 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:11.113	1:10.597	1:10.346	27
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:11.124	1:10.650	1:10.576	23
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:10.938	1:10.695	1:10.601	28
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:11.324	1:10.806	1:10.611	25
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:11.321	1:11.031	1:10.620	23
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:11.560	1:11.179	1:10.900	30
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:11.622	1:11.116	1:11.095	30
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:12.078	1:11.309	1:11.419	26
9	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:11.644	1:11.019	1:11.573	26
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:11.658	1:11.409	1:11.779	28
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:11.740	1:11.486	—	22
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:11.747	1:11.598	—	21
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:11.979	1:11.600	—	20
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:11.899	1:11.642	—	21
15	63	George Russell	Williams	1:12.016	1:11.830	—	24
16	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:12.096	—	—	13
17	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:12.205	—	—	12
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:12.366	—	—	14
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:12.958	—	—	12
DNS	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	No time	—	—	0

Mick Schumacher did not take part in qualifying due to an accident that occurred during the third practice session. He was permitted to race at the stewards’ discretion. He also received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. The penalty was nullified as he would start from last place regardless.

What happened in the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen took a commanding first Monaco Grand Prix victory, leading the classified laps and taking full advantage of a difficult afternoon for Mercedes. Carlos Sainz finished second for Ferrari, while Lando Norris gave McLaren‘s striking Gulf colours a podium appearance in third.

The first major development came before the start. Ferrari had cleared Leclerc’s gearbox after his qualifying crash, but a driveshaft-related problem emerged on his reconnaissance lap. There was insufficient time to repair it, and the home favourite was unable to take the start. His pole-position slot remained empty.

Verstappen lined up in the second grid position and covered Bottas into the opening corner. From there he controlled the pace, carefully managing the gap on a circuit where a small mistake can have an immediate cost. Bottas initially remained his closest challenger, but the Finn’s race unravelled at his pit stop.

Mercedes could not remove Bottas’s right-front wheel because of a damaged wheel nut. The car remained stranded in its pit box and Bottas retired, promoting Sainz to second and Norris to third. Ferrari at least had one car in contention for a strong result after Leclerc’s disappointment.

Pit strategy also shaped the battle behind. Sergio Perez gained ground to finish fourth and closed on Norris late on, although the McLaren driver held the podium position. Sebastian Vettel delivered fifth for Aston Martin, his first points for the team, ahead of Pierre Gasly.

Hamilton finished seventh after an afternoon spent struggling to progress through the order. A late stop allowed him to take the fastest-lap bonus point, but the result still represented a substantial swing towards Verstappen. Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon followed, while Antonio Giovinazzi scored Alfa Romeo Racing‘s first point of the season in tenth.

Kimi Räikkönen, Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso finished outside the points, each a lap behind the winner. Verstappen’s victory and Perez’s fourth place put Red Bull Racing ahead in the Constructors’ Championship as well as lifting Verstappen above Hamilton. Monaco had changed the shape of the season in a single afternoon.

2021 Monaco Grand Prix race results

The 2021 Monaco Grand Prix was held on 23 May 2021, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	78	1:38:56.820	25
2	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	78	+8.968s	18
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	78	+19.427s	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	78	+20.490s	12
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	78	+52.591s	10
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	78	+53.896s	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	78	+68.231s	7
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	77	+1 lap	4
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	77	+1 lap	2
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	77	+1 lap	1
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	77	+1 lap	0
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	77	+1 lap	0
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	77	+1 lap	0
14	63	George Russell	Williams	77	+1 lap	0
15	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	77	+1 lap	0
16	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	77	+1 lap	0
17	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	75	+3 laps	0
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	75	+3 laps	0
Ret	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	29	Wheel nut	0
DNS	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	0	Driveshaft hub	0

Lewis Hamilton earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Charles Leclerc did not start the race due to residual damage from a crash during qualifying. His place on the grid was left vacant.

2021 Monaco Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	69	16:31:41	1:12.909	164.769
2	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	66	16:29:05	1:14.037	162.259
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	32	15:44:05	1:14.552	161.138
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	43	15:59:09	1:14.578	161.082
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	35	15:48:00	1:14.621	160.989
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	58	16:16:44	1:14.649	160.929
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	76	16:39:40	1:14.670	160.883
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	74	16:38:08	1:14.674	160.875
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	55	16:14:27	1:14.971	160.237
10	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	70	16:33:45	1:15.026	160.120
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	33	15:45:41	1:15.316	159.503
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	41	15:56:18	1:15.316	159.503
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	41	15:56:20	1:15.331	159.472
14	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	71	16:33:55	1:15.412	159.300
15	63	George Russell	Williams	59	16:20:09	1:15.539	159.033
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	66	16:29:03	1:15.573	158.961
17	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	18	15:26:01	1:15.706	158.682
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	51	16:11:30	1:16.425	157.189
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	64	16:28:16	1:16.866	156.287

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2021 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	105
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	101
3	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	56
4	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	47
5	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	44
6	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	40
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	38
8	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	24
9	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	16
10	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	12
11	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	10
12	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	9
13	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	5
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	2
15	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	1
16	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
17	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0
18	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	0
19	Mick Schumacher	GER	Haas	0
20	Nikita Mazepin	RAF	Haas	0

RAF denotes the neutral Russian Automobile Federation designation used by Nikita Mazepin in 2021.

2021 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	149
2	Mercedes	148
3	McLaren	80
4	Ferrari	78
5	Aston Martin	19
6	AlphaTauri	18
7	Alpine	17
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	1
9	Williams	0
10	Haas	0