In 2024, Monaco had failed to defeat the French Hadjar and Martins

Every year, Monaco is a championship round eagerly awaited and dreaded by drivers. More so than at other circuits, the slightest mistake can suddenly become very costly, while racing incidents have a far greater impact than elsewhere.

Last year, Victor Martins and Isack Hadjar, then competing with ART GP and Campos Racing, suffered the brunt of the difficult streets of Monaco. At different levels, the two French drivers didn't have the perfect weekend on the Rock, and left with plenty of reasons to be frustrated.

Martins was having a series of setbacks

From the sprint race onwards, Victor Martins did not have the expected success. Starting in the heart of the pack after a second fastest time in qualifying, the ART driver was unfortunately not able to really take part in the race. Having crashed out at the first corner, Martins saw the front wing of his car be torn off, before it ends its course in the barrier outside the trajectory.

Determined to redeem himself from the front row on Sunday, Victor Martins did not really make an impression. While he completely missed his start at the lights out, the Frenchman was only in 14th place after the first lap of the race. Finally 9th, the former protégé ofAlpine failed to capitalize on his good qualifying position. He will naturally need to perform better this weekend, as he still hasn't secured pole position in 2025.

Hadjar, a breath away from victory

Much more energetic than his compatriot, Isack Hadjar started from 3rd position on the grid for the main race. Eighth in the sprint race on Saturday, the Campos driver was in contention for victory on Sunday. Virtual leader of the race before Zak O'Sullivan's (ART GP) final stop, the Frenchman was unlucky with the timing of the end of the race.

Indeed, a virtual safety car was deployed at the exact moment the provisional race leader was stopping in the pits. Due to a collision between Zane Maloney (Rodin Motorsport) and Joshua Durksen (AIX Racing), this VSC deprived Isack Hadjar of a victory that was expected to be his. Frustrated by his race pace, the now Racing Bulls driver made no secret of his disappointment after having raged on the radio a few moments earlier.

"If you had told me this morning that I would finish second in the main race, I would have signed. But the way we lost the race at the end is really painful, he lamented. And that's why I got angry. Honestly, I wasn't aware of Zak's presence at that moment. In the last few laps, I thought the victory was assured. I need to look more closely, because I don't really understand what happened. he admitted, still marked. But I clearly had more rhythm than that."

If one of the two protagonists is about to discover the tortuous route of Monaco aboard a Formula 1 This weekend, the other is still playing big on a circuit for which pole position is synonymous, almost every time, with a good result on Sunday.

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