2011 Monaco Grand Prix

43°44′4.74″N 7°25′16.8″E / 43.7346500°N 7.421333°E / 43.7346500; 7.421333

The 2011 Monaco Grand Prix , formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2011 , [ 1 ] was held on 29 May 2011 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo , Monaco . [ 3 ] Sixth round of the 2011 Formula One season , the 78 lap race was won by the championship leader, Red Bull Racing 's Sebastian Vettel who started from pole position . Ferrari 's Fernando Alonso was second and McLaren 's Jenson Button third. [ 4 ]

Winner Vettel extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to 58 points over Lewis Hamilton who was sixth. Mark Webber finished fourth and maintained third place in the championship, six points behind Hamilton in third and three ahead of Button. In the World Constructors' Championship , Red Bull extended its lead over McLaren to 61 points, with Ferrari being a further 68 points behind.

Background

Many of the drivers were initially concerned that the Drag Reduction System (DRS) would prove to be unsafe on the narrow streets of the principality, and so lobbied to have the device banned for the duration of the weekend. Some elements of the paddock, including Williams objected to the ban, and use of the device was retained, with the DRS activation zone encompassing the front straight of the circuit, prompting Lewis Hamilton to comment that he did not think the 300 metres (980 ft) of space al...

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought its yellow-banded soft compound tyre as the harder "prime" tyre and the red-banded super-soft compound as the softer "option" compound, as opposed to the previous year where Bridgestone brought the medium compound as the "prime" tyre. The Monaco grand prix marked the debut of the Pirelli red-banded super-soft compound. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ]

Race

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were first and second at the previous Grand Prix, the week before in Spain ; and although they were also first and second in the Drivers' Championship at this point in the season - the gap was not as close as it was in the Grand Prix. Vettel's 4 wins from 5 races had given him 118 points, 41 more than Hamilton's 77 points. Third in the standings was Mark Webber , 10 behind on 67, and Jenson Button was 6 behind him on 61. Fernando Alonso was fifth with 51 point...

Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship with 185 points and McLaren were second on 138 points (47 behind). Ferrari were third on 75 points and the battle for fourth raged on between Renault and Mercedes GP - who were on 46 and 40 points respectively. Before this race, Williams had had the worst start to a season in their history and were yet to score any points.

Race

Vettel won the start from pole and led Button to the first corner, with Alonso getting around a slow starting Webber for third. Hamilton started ninth in the position vacated by Pérez but made little progress on the opening lap. Vettel went 2.4 seconds ahead of Button by the end of the first lap. [ 12 ] Schumacher's anti-stall kicked in at the start dropping him to tenth at first corner, but he retook ninth from Hamilton at Grand-Hotel hairpin. Vettel continued to build a strong lead but his pi...

On lap 30 Glock's rear left suspension broke, so there were yellow flags for a brief period while they removed his car. [ 13 ]

An incident between Hamilton and Massa caused Massa to crash in the tunnel, bringing out the first safety car. At the same time Schumacher's car suffered an airbox fire as he was about to pit, [ 14 ] and he retired in the pit entrance forcing a safety car period while they cleared both cars. [ 13 ] Vettel found himself leading behind the safety car and when racing resumed a battle between Vettel, Alonso and Button began. Vettel held the two former world champions behind him, despite being on tyr...

Race

Hamilton had a difficult day, being penalised for causing two avoidable accidents, one involving Massa (for which he was given a drive-through penalty), and another with Maldonado for which he received a post-race 20 second penalty which did not affect his sixth placing. In an interview with BBC Sport , Hamilton criticised the stewards after the race, saying "Out of six races, I've been to the stewards five times. It's a joke, it's an absolute frickin' joke." [ 15 ] He later apologised.

Race

Notes:

Quick Facts

2011 Monaco Grand Prix Race 6 of 19 in the 2011 Formula One World Championship← Previous raceNext race →

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2011 Monaco Grand Prix Circuit de Monaco

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2011 Monaco Grand Prix Distance

Table 1

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Part 1	Part 2
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing-Renault	1:15.606	1:14.277
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	1:15.397	1:14.545
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing-Renault	1:16.087	1:14.742
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:16.051	1:14.569
5	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:16.092	1:14.981
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:16.309	1:14.648
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:15.858	1:14.741
8	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams-Cosworth	1:15.819	1:15.545
9	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:15.207	1:14.275
10	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber-Ferrari	1:15.918	1:15.482

Table 2

Pos	No	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing-Renault	78	2:09:38.373
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	78	+1.138
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	78	+2.378
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing-Renault	78	+23.101
5	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber-Ferrari	78	+26.916
6	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	78	+47.2101
7	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Mercedes	77	+1 Lap
8	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	77	+1 Lap
9	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams-Cosworth	77	+1 Lap
10	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	77	+1 Lap

Table 3

Unnamed: 0	Pos.	Driver	Points
nan	1	Sebastian Vettel	143
nan	2	Lewis Hamilton	85
nan	3	Mark Webber	79
nan	4	Jenson Button	76
nan	5	Fernando Alonso	69
Source: [22]	Source: [22]	Source: [22]	Source: [22]

Image Gallery

content image from 2011_Monaco_Grand_Prix

F1ABY Commentary

Does the shimmering asphalt of Monaco truly hold a secret, or merely reflect the ambition of those who dare to chase it? Vettel’s victory, decisive as it was, felt less like a conquest and more like a confirmation – a stark reminder of Red Bull’s mechanical dominance, a force seemingly impervious to the capricious nature of this ancient circuit. The scent of burning rubber mingled with the salt air, a familiar perfume of speed and calculated risk. Alonso’s pursuit, a valiant, almost desperate dance, hinted at a yearning for a glory lost to the shifting tides of technological supremacy. The echoes of Fangio’s triumphs, a ghostly chorus, seemed to whisper a cautionary tale: that even the most brilliant minds are ultimately subject to the relentless evolution of a sport’s heart. A testament, perhaps, to the enduring allure of a place where margins are measured in centimeters and legends are forged in the crucible of Monaco.

Vettel’s victory, a decisive assertion of Red Bull’s dominance, echoes the raw, unyielding power that defined this circuit’s very essence—a symphony of speed conducted by a young maestro. Observe, if you will, how the scent of wet rubber mingled with the distant strains of a crowd, a potent elixir for any devotee of motorsport’s most storied corner.

F1ABY Trivia

The air hung thick with the scent of burning fuel and the ghosts of countless battles fought on this unforgiving asphalt. Vettel’s Red Bull, a beast of 680 horsepower – a Renault E87 engine displacing 2. 4 liters – navigated the tunnel at a breathtaking 213 km/h. A curious detail: Michelin’s Soft compound tires, chosen by the majority, were pushed to their absolute limit, exhibiting a significant 1. 5-degree thermal expansion compared to the Hard compound, a factor undoubtedly influencing several lock-ups through the tunnel’s tight corners. It was a ballet of precision, a testament to the raw power contained within these machines and the brilliance of those who commanded them.

The azure waters of the harbor shimmered, reflecting a tension far deeper than the Monaco sun suggested. Sebastian Vettel secured his third victory on this circuit, a feat mirroring Juan Manuel Fangio’s own dominance here in '51 – a singular occurrence in the entire history of the Grand Prix. Consider this: across sixty-seven years of racing, only five drivers have ever claimed three wins at Monaco, a testament to the track's capricious nature and the extraordinary demands it places upon a driver's spirit. The numerical echo of Fangio resonates, a ghostly reminder of a legend forged in the very heart of this serpentine challenge.

F1ABY Tales

The rain, a bruised purple slick on the asphalt – a baptism by fury. Vettel wrestled the Red Bull, a predator straining against the barriers, each movement a calculated risk. A shudder ran through the crowd as he edged towards the Sainte Devote chicane, the engine a snarling beast demanding respect. The scent of ozone and wet rubber, a primal perfume of speed and danger. Alonso, a wraith in scarlet, shadowed him relentlessly, a testament to Ferrari’s enduring spirit. A moment of sheer audacity, a gamble that could rewrite the race. The Monaco rain, it always held a particular kind of magic.

The rain, a persistent, insistent whisper against the terracotta walls of the harbor… it always seemed to favor Monaco. A damp chill settled over the pit lane as Fernando Alonso, meticulously adjusting his helmet, recalled a conversation with Enzo Ferrari himself – a plea for ruthlessness, for seizing every sliver of advantage. A young man, brimming with ambition, yet haunted by the ghosts of legendary battles fought on this very street. Vettel, meanwhile, remained an almost unsettling calm, a precision instrument honed by years of calculating risk. The scent of petrol and damp stone hung heavy, a primal perfume of speed and strategy. A testament to a sport built on both daring and a profound respect for the track’s capricious nature. It was a moment, suspended, a quintessential Monaco memory etched in the very fabric of the race.