The 2011 Monaco Grand Prix (officially Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2011) was race number 6 of the 2011 Formula One Season. It took place at the Circuit de Monaco on May 29 2011. The race was won by Red Bull-Renault driver Sebastian Vettel with Fernando Alonso for Ferrari in second and Jenson Button of McLaren-Mercedes in third.
Background[]
Heading into the Monaco round, Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing led the Drivers’ Championship, having started the season strongly. The standings placed him ahead of several close challengers — including Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Jenson Button, and Fernando Alonso. Constructors’ Championship pressure was likewise high, with Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari all pushing to maximise points.
Tyre strategy was also key, with Pirelli supplying the usual compounds suited for slick, dry conditions except in case of unexpected rain. As always in Monaco, the risk of showers, safety cars, and track incidents loomed large, influencing how teams set up their cars and planned their race weekends.
Safety and circuit issues had additionally come under scrutiny: the tight confines of the circuit, approach lines, and barrier positions have long been a point of discussion. While there were no major circuit changes immediately before the 2011 race, past incidents (and the risk of them) influenced how teams and organisers approached qualifying and race safety.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix is outlined below:
Practice Overview[]
The first session took place on Friday under relatively stable conditions. Sebastian Vettel registered the fastest time of 1:16.619, leading Fernando Alonso by just 0.113 seconds. Nico Rosberg completed the top three timing sheets. The session allowed teams to shake down their cars and gather baseline data given Monaco’s unique combination of low-speed corners, tight barriers and bumpy surfaces.
Drivers further back used the session to evaluate traffic patterns, tyre behaviour, and track grip, especially in areas like Sainte-Dévote and the tunnel exit, as well as refining brake cooling and suspension settings in light of the circuit’s close walls and limited run-offs.
The second session, later on Friday, allowed teams to push performance more aggressively, although full session timing data is less readily available in summary records. Teams typically used this slot to explore tyre compound comparisons, longer runs, and qualifying simulations in anticipation of the following day’s qualifying sessions.
Given Monaco’s sensitivity to setup and track evolution, many drivers focused on optimising mechanical grip, brake balance, and low-speed traction, especially over the chicane sections and slower corners.
Saturday’s final practice was crucial, as it served as a last opportunity to fine-tune qualifying trim. Fernando Alonso posted the quickest lap with a time of 1:14.433, establishing himself ahead of Jenson Button and Felipe Massa. Sebastian Vettel, albeit not topping the session, also featured prominently with a time of 1:15.245.
This session was also interrupted by incidents: Nico Rosberg suffered a crash early in the session in the downhill braking zone after the tunnel, prompting a red flag. Later, Vitantonio Liuzzi hit the barrier at Sainte-Dévote, damaging his car and triggering a second stoppage.
Qualifying[]
Q1[]
In Q1, all entrants except those unable to take part competed over a 20-minute period to set lap times, with the slowest drivers eliminated. Lewis Hamilton initially paced the session with a fastest time, followed closely by his McLaren teammate Jenson Button, while Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso also progressed comfortably.
Two HRT cars—Vitantonio Liuzzi’s and Narain Karthikeyan’s—did not participate: Liuzzi’s car could not be repaired in time following a crash in practice, and Karthikeyan encountered a rear suspension issue.
Several drivers failed to advance from Q1. Among them were both Lotus drivers (Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli), the Virgin Racing entrants, and Jaime Alguersuari, who collided with Kamui Kobayashi at Rascasse.
Q2[]
Hamilton again showed strong pace, topping the Q2 timesheet, while Vettel was close behind, trailing by only a few thousandths of a second.
Several notable eliminations occurred in this phase. The Renault drivers (Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld) were unable to advance, as were Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil of Force India. Kamui Kobayashi and Rubens Barrichello also fell short of making Q3.
A late lap from Pastor Maldonado secured him a place in Q3 at the expense of his Williams teammate. Additionally, Sergio Pérez made it through in ninth place, while his teammate Kobayashi was eliminated in 13th.
Q3[]
Q3 was notably disrupted by a serious crash involving Sergio Pérez. Exiting the tunnel, Pérez lost control of his Sauber, veered toward the barrier, and struck the wall at the harbour chicane. The accident prompted a red flag with about two minutes remaining.
Before the interruption, Jenson Button had set an early benchmark lap. However, Sebastian Vettel responded with a sharper time to claim pole with a lap of 1:13.556. Vettel’s pole was his fifth of the season and his first at Monaco.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, had delayed his run and was caught mid-lap by the red flag; he was unable to set a proper Q3 time and was classified eighth (later adjusted). His gamble on tyre usage backfired, especially after the red flag interruption prevented further attempts.
Mark Webber followed Vettel and Button to fill out the second row, while Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher completed the top five on the grid.
Qualifying Results[]
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:15.606 | 1:14.277 | 1:13.556 | 1 |
| 2 | 4 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:15.397 | 1:14.545 | 1:13.997 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:16.087 | 1:14.742 | 1:14.019 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:16.051 | 1:14.569 | 1:14.483 | 4 |
| 5 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:16.092 | 1:14.981 | 1:14.682 | 5 |
| 6 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:16.309 | 1:14.648 | 1:14.877 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:15.858 | 1:14.741 | 1:15.766 | 7 |
| 8 | 12 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Cosworth | 1:15.819 | 1:15.545 | 1:16.528 | 8 |
| 9 | 3 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:15.207 | 1:14.275 | No time | 9 |
| 10 | 17 | Sergio Pérez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:15.918 | 1:15.482 | DNF | 10 |
| 11 | 10 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1:16.378 | 1:15.815 | — | 11 |
| 12 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams-Cosworth | 1:16.616 | 1:15.826 | — | 12 |
| 13 | 16 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:16.513 | 1:15.973 | — | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:16.813 | 1:16.118 | — | 14 |
| 15 | 14 | Adrian Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 1:16.600 | 1:16.121 | — | 15 |
| 16 | 9 | Nick Heidfeld | Renault | 1:16.681 | 1:16.214 | — | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | Sébastien Buemi | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:16.358 | 1:16.300 | — | 17 |
| 18 | 20 | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus-Renault | 1:17.343 | — | — | 18 |
| 19 | 21 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus-Renault | 1:17.381 | — | — | 19 |
| 20 | 19 | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:17.820 | — | — | 20 |
| 21 | 24 | Timo Glock | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:17.914 | — | — | 21 |
| 22 | 25 | Jérôme d’Ambrosio | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:18.736 | — | — | 22 |
| 23 | 22 | Narain Karthikeyan | HRT-Cosworth | No time | — | — | 23 |
| 24 | 23 | Vitantonio Liuzzi | HRT-Cosworth | No time | — | — | 24 |
Race[]
Results[]
Milestones[]
Standings after race[]
Notes[]
| V T E |  Monaco Grand Prix
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|---|---|---|
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