Jayden HW tames the streets as Porcu extends his title grip
The glamour and peril of Monaco once again delivered a drama-laden spectacle. In a race defined by millimetres from the guardrails and relentless pressure, Jayden HW claimed his second win of the season from pole. Championship leader Simone Porcu followed home in second to consolidate his advantage, while gilvil77 nursed his machine to third after a bruising afternoon that saw multiple rivals clipped by the barriers.
Qualifying & grid
Jayden HW planted his car on pole with Simone Porcu alongside and Florian Masse third. Behind them sat gilvil77 in P4, FMG in P5 and Eetu Karjunen in P7. On a street circuit that punishes over‑reach, the front‑row starters already had the one commodity everyone else wanted: clean air.
The start and early laps
Jayden’s launch was crisp and, save for a light brush with the guardrail in the opening minutes, he never looked flustered (minor wall kisses are logged for the pole‑sitter at 1756671812 and again seconds later, both without consequence).
Behind, the fight for the final podium place flared immediately. Three separate touches between gilvil77 and Florian Masse—first in the early sequence and again around the harbour area a few minutes later—frayed tempers and front wings. Those contacts proved decisive for the order behind the top two and ultimately compromised Masse’s afternoon.
Jayden checks out
Once clear of the first stint of traffic, Jayden settled into a relentless rhythm. He recorded the race’s fastest lap at 1:27.378, a marker of how comfortably he was operating on the limit.
By the flag his total elapsed time was 61:07.873 for 41 laps, enough to win by +43.014 s over Porcu (41 laps in 61:50.887).
The podium fight
Porcu didn’t have an answer for the leader but drove with championship smarts, keeping the walls at bay and banking maximum damage‑limitation points in P2. Behind, gilvil77 emerged from the early sparring to secure P3 on the road—41 laps in 62:29.973, +82.100 s to the winner—after surviving further scrapes while clearing traffic.
Best of the rest
Eetu Karjunen ran a quietly excellent race. Starting outside the top five, he kept it tidy, avoided Monaco’s usual booby traps and rose to P4, one lap down (40 laps in 61:44.925). Stefano Bucci brought it home P5 (40 laps in 62:29.191), completing a disciplined day for the midfielders who kept their noses clean.
Just outside the top five, Richard Rossier (39 laps in 61:43.063), pitman (39 laps in 61:51.988) and FMG (39 laps in 62:12.736) filled P6–P8 after trading places through traffic in the final third.
It was tougher for two of the headline names: Florian Masse retired early after 26 laps (40:02.461)—the earlier contact never fully shook out—and kuanza parked it after six laps.
Official top five (Monaco)
- Jayden HW — 41 laps, 61:07.873 (FL 1:27.378).
- Simone Porcu — 41 laps, 61:50.887 (+43.014).
- gilvil77 — 41 laps, 62:29.973 (+1:22.100).
- Eetu Karjunen — 40 laps, 61:44.925.
- Stefano Bucci — 40 laps, 62:29.191.
(Selected incidents: Jayden’s early wall rubs; multiple gilvil77–Masse contacts that shaped the P3 battle.)
Championship implications (drop‑score applied)
The points system pays 40–37–34–31–30–29… downwards. With the single drop race rule (each driver’s worst score to date discarded), Monaco tightens the fight behind the leader:
- Simone Porcu extends his lead with P2 at Monaco: 154 pts from the first five weekends (40 [Monza] + 40 [Jarama] + 37 [Hockenheim] + 37 [Monaco], dropping the Long Beach DNS).
- Florian Masse stays second on 142 (37 + 37 + 34 + 34; drops Monaco’s zero).
- FMG rises to 135 (drops the Monza DNF/zero).
- gilvil77 moves to 123, the Monaco podium erasing his earlier DNS.
- Eetu Karjunen’s P4 pushes him into the top five on 117.
Jayden HW, brilliant again with a second win from limited appearances, sits on 80 (two wins, three DNFs/DNS), a headline figure that underlines just how decisive full‑season attendance is under drop‑score rules.
Verdict
This was classic Monaco: the guardrails framed the story, and discipline decided it. Jayden authored the perfect street‑race script—clean air, controlled pace, one electric fastest lap—and Porcu banked the kind of second place that wins titles. The podium shoot‑out between gilvil77 and Masse, punctuated by repeated contact, was the flashpoint; Karjunen and Bucci were the day’s quiet over‑achievers.
If the Principality proved anything, it’s that the championship will likely be settled by who combines outright speed with streetwise prudence—traits Porcu showed in abundance even as Jayden stole the show.
