Monaco: Qualifying creates stalemate for Daniel

At the F1 circuit where qualifying determines your race result like no other, Daniel starts and finishes in 12th after a frustrating afternoon of being bottled up in traffic.

Race data

Monaco (Round 8 of 24), 24-26 May, 2024

Circuit de Monaco, 3.337km, 78 laps
Qualified: 13th (started 12th after Hulkenberg/Haas excluded from qualifying)
Finished: 12th
Laps per position: 12th (31 laps), 13th (45 laps)
Pit stops/tyres: Lap 1 (medium/hard, under red flag)
Fastest lap: 1min 17.172secs (15th), lap 46
Points this event: 5
Points this season: 5 (14th in world championship)

Daniel's download

“That wasn’t the Monaco I wanted, for sure.

“If you don’t qualify in the points [top 10] here, then it’s hard to make it happen. Qualifying, I just didn’t get everything out of [the car] on lap one. That’s when you know the grip is there, especially from the rear, it’s so important around here. So you’ve really got to try to make that lap work. It hurts around here because qualifying is so important. It’s tough to take qualifying that far back. I enjoy driving here, but the classification takes that enjoyment out of it …

“The first start, it was one of our few very good starts this year but it put me in a position I didn’t actually want to be in, and I had to come out of it and that allowed [Aston Martin’s Lance] Stroll to carry more momentum on the inside. He got me on the first one, and the second [start], he came across and protected on the inside and I think that allowed [Aston Martin’s Fernando] Alonso some room on the outside. So I looked at both Astons for the whole race!

“That’s no surprise, that’s how it is around here. I had two laps all race in clear air where I could push a little bit. They were enjoyable but the rest … there were a few with Alonso trying to create something so that was a little bit of fun, but not 70-something laps … that was a little bit painful.

“There’s a lot of positives [with RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda scoring points] but there’s some personal disappointment because it obviously can be done, and Yuki’s got points the last few races. That’s where I’ve got to pick myself up and find what it is I’m not quite showing consistently. I feel like when I do show it, it’s obviously there … it has to come every weekend, otherwise that’s no good. Montreal, we’ll try to pick it up.”

DR’s race recap

* Qualified 13th, gained one place on the grid to start 12th after Hulkenberg/Haas was excluded after the session.
* Completed first lap in 12th place before a red flag for a multi-car accident.
* Lost 12th to Alonso/Aston Martin at the restart on lap 3.

* Advanced to 12th on lap 48 when Stroll/Aston Martin pitted.
* Finished 12th after 76 of 78 laps, two laps down on race-winner Leclerc/Ferrari, and 0.4secs behind Alonso in 11th.

DR’s next destination

Round 9: Canada (Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve), 9 June
Canada in 2022 (most recent race): qualified 9th, finished 11th
In F1: 9 races, 1 win, 2 podiums, 66 points, 5 points finishes
Best qualifying: 4th (2016, 2018)
Best finish: 1st (2014)