Monaco was resplendent as practice began Friday at perhaps the most famous racing circuit of all. And he delivered a tasty array of lap times to suggest we have at least three teams, maybe even four, with a shout of taking the top position.
Ferrari maintains lead over Red Bull at one lap pace
Ask anyone in the F1 paddock and they will tell you that when it comes to preparing the car for Monaco, the focus is on qualifying pace because good grid position is very important at a track where it is very, very difficult to overtake.
FP2: Verstappen leads Leclerc as Sainz crashes during ultra-close second practice in Monaco
Ferrari have been quite strong in this metric this year (with their pace dropping dramatically when fuel is poured for race day) and they continued that way in Monaco, with Carlos Sainz the stronger of the two drivers, until he collided. . at the end of FP2.
The Spaniard seemed hooked from the first lap on Friday and seemed to have the advantage in the last two sectors of the lap. Charles Leclerc was not so happy, as the Monegasque had to save several times, but he came out unscathed each time.
Ferrari is around 0.08s ahead of Red Bull based on our qualifying data. That’s nothing around here, but if they can keep that up until Saturday, getting a clean lap at top pace makes them very strong candidates for pole position.
Red Bull starts Monaco weekend on the wrong foot
Red Bull has been the class of the field so far in 2023, the reigning world champions have won all five races, with championship leader Max Verstappen finishing every Grand Prix inside the top two, but they weren’t in a league of their own according to Practice. Friday.
Both Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez were unhappy with the balance of the car, with the ride height in an area they know they improved during the day but have to work harder at night.
Even with that bumpy day, the RB19, monster car that it is, was second quickest in qualifying and quickest of all over long runs.
They were also quicker in the slow and medium corners, according to the numbers we gathered, so while they were outperformed by Ferrari based on our data, they are likely pretty confident they can make overnight gains to keep one, if not both cars. the first row.
Aston Martin is in the fight for pole position
Aston Martin have moved to play down their expectations for this weekend, but it was impossible to miss the quiet confidence that bubbled up in the team as they knew this circuit suited their car, especially with double world champion Fernando Alonso in the lead. steering wheel.
And that’s how it turned out on Friday, with Alonso as if he were on rails through the streets of the Principality. The Spaniard said the car felt easy to drive and he was so happy with the day’s events that he couldn’t resist saying he thinks Aston will be one of the contenders for pole position.
That is another big step forward for a team that is making waves in F1 at the moment. They are third best in our pace rankings, around 0.3 seconds off pace.
But Alonso, in the zone, will imagine his chances of eradicating that deficit and getting the best seat in the house for Sunday.
Mercedes seems to have taken a step forward
Mercedes’ long-awaited upgrade hit the track for the first time on Friday, and the pace looked so good for Lewis Hamilton in FP1 that the seven-time world champion thought: “Wow, maybe we’re looking pretty good.”
They fell back in the second session and while they are fourth in the pecking order, more or less where they have been all season, they are much closer to the rest of the field in terms of lap time, 0.44sec off the pace.
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Was there more in the tank? Well, Hamilton thinks there were maybe two tenths. Find that and they’re in contention for the first two rows.
His race pace was also strong, and while he won’t be as useful around here, it bodes well for future races on more traditional tracks.
Overall, it was an encouraging day for the team, which hopes this is the first step in a resurgence leading to more competitive days.
FP2 highlights: Monaco Grand Prix 2023