10 things we learned from the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix

The most famous circuit on the calendar faced intense scrutiny during the build-up to the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. This came amid complaints that the principality’s penchant for producing dull races is no longer compatible with blockbuster modern-day Formula 1.

But those complaints were tempered by an 11th-hour cloud burst that forced the race start to be delayed and then required the leading teams to roll the dice with tyre strategy as the track dried. Those circumstances ensured last Sunday’s bout was no lights-to-flag procession behind the polesitter as qualifying crashers Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz came to the fore.

However, on a day when the second string shone and F1’s wet-weather reaction was called into question again, a calamitous Ferrari strategy further hurt home hero Charles Leclerc.

While he raged in response to his faltering chase after points leader Max Verstappen in the likely end-of-season battle for the title spoils, the defending champion showed his lesser-seen contentedness to settle for the unremarkable as he rarely featured at the front.

Meanwhile, following the promise it showed last time out in Spain, Mercedes’ struggle to truly tame its troublesome W13 lingered on while speculation continues over Daniel Ricciardo’s place at McLaren after another weekend when he was upstaged by Lando Norris.

As the narrative of the 2022 F1 season grows, here are 10 things we learned from the Monaco weekend.

1. Monaco can offer more than glitz and glamour in its fight for an F1 future…

Less than a decade ago, the Monaco Grand Prix seemed unimpeachable. Its status as the jewel in the crown for Formula 1 led to special dispensation and cut-price hosting fees to guarantee it was an annual fixture. But the story ahead of the 2022 edition had started to revolve around