Monaco – Free Practice: What to Remember?

Mercedes a step above

The outcome was predictable: Thursday has passed… and Mercedes has pulled ahead! If Max Verstappen had come between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in FP1, the two Silver Arrows crushed the competition in the afternoon, with a seven-tenths lead over the first pursuer, Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari! An interesting fact nonetheless: driver #44 and driver #77 were within one-tenth of each other both in the morning and afternoon. While Hamilton’s pace doesn’t surprise us, let’s commend Bottas’s competitiveness, well-positioned this Thursday evening to contend for his first pole position in Monaco.

Another element to maintain the suspense: Max Verstappen was held up at his pit for a significant part of FP2. The reason being debris embedded in the airbox above his car, damaging his radiators, which then had to be replaced. The result: the Red Bull driver waited for long minutes before being able to hit the track, ultimately completing “only” 16 laps. His afternoon performance is therefore quite relative, especially as the Dutchman also changed his settings before taking to the track. However, he is satisfied “with the balance of his car”… a good sign to clinch at least third place on Saturday afternoon.

The Mercedes-Red Bull match seems to be in favor of the German team. Lewis Hamilton’s feeling is extremely clear: the car is a “dream” for a driver in Monaco. Esteban Ocon will still be hard at work in the simulator in Brackley by tomorrow night: the W10 has a bit of trouble heating its tires in the first round of qualifying. But even with this shadow on the board, it’s hard to see what could prevent a gray car from being up front at the end of Q3.

FP2 CLASSIFICATION ⏱️@LewisHamilton tops the time sheets for the second straight session 🚀

Another impressive display by @alex_albon in P5 👏#F1 #MonacoGP 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/X2daW295Yy

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 23, 2019

Ferrari will struggle to make an impact

On the other hand, one thing is certain for Ferrari: the Italian car is outclassed! While Vettel briefly led the race in FP2, being the first to break the 1:11 barrier, his time was quickly overshadowed by the performances of Hamilton and Bottas. By the end of the session, Vettel was tenths of a second behind, especially in the second sector, with the German three-tenths of a second behind Hamilton. In short, the Ferrari loses the most time to the Mercedes in the central portion of the circuit between the Mirabeau corner and the Tabac corner. But in any case, the Ferrari loses time almost everywhere!

And the finding is even more striking for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque only finished FP2 in tenth position, behind the two Alfa Romeos of Giovinazzi and Räikkönen, in P8 and P9 respectively… Cars also powered by Ferrari. The management of the tires, once again, is one of the main elements of the local driver’s lack of pace in the afternoon.

Watch those barriers 😬

Your FP2 highlights from the #MonacoGP ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/B4nUZUKRY6

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 23, 2019

Decent Thursday for Gasly and Grosjean

Among the French drivers, Pierre Gasly found satisfaction, finishing 4th in FP2, within the same tenth as Vettel. However, his start in the morning was not outstanding, trailing a second behind Verstappen. Fortunately, some lifesaving setup changes were made during the lunch break. In the afternoon, the Norman felt “comfortable on long runs.” He will need to optimize his lap pace during FP3 on Saturday morning! Let’s remember that the priority here is securing a good spot on the grid…

On his side, the other French driver had a more surprising Thursday. Unusually, Romain Grosjean received a black flag in FP1… The reason wasn’t his fault: he simply didn’t have radio communication with his track engineer. A peculiar situation, which also affected Kevin Magnussen, his teammate. Especially since both drivers hadn’t seen the order to return to the pits, displayed on their pit board. On track, the Frenchman was beaten by K-Mag in both the morning and afternoon: the afternoon gap was two-tenths, but four places! Nevertheless, the former Lotus driver is satisfied with the evolution of his car after Thursday’s practice: he can hope for points and build on his tenth place in Catalonia two weeks ago. Before that, Q3 in Monaco “is a possibility,” by his own admission.

The pleasant surprise of the day: Alexander Albon!

A Toro Rosso in the top five in FP2! This performance is the work of the Thai driver, who confirmed his ease in the Principality after his pole in Formula 2 a year ago. The contrast is striking: on the other side of the garage, Daniil Kvyat finished his session fourteenth, five tenths behind. Albon, on the other hand, confirmed that the Toro Rosso is a car to watch in Monaco, just like last year when Gasly secured seventh place. So yes, but the Faenza car’s competitiveness might have stepped up a notch. Albon was driving at the pace of the French Red Bull this afternoon!

The disappointment of the day: the Renault team

If Daniel Ricciardo was quite confident before this Thursday, his enthusiasm may have taken a hit. The Australian finished FP2 in 17th position, just ahead of Lance Stroll’s Racing Point… and the two Williams cars. Nico Hülkenberg did not fare better, securing only 16th place. At this point, the French team has not exactly pinpointed the issue plaguing the R.S.19, especially since Hülkenberg was 7th and the “best of the rest” in the morning. In the afternoon, the German still had some speed, claiming that he was hindered by traffic. A positive note: the German stated he was “comfortable” in his car. He dominated Ricciardo both in the morning and the afternoon. The Australian, on the other hand, cited changes that perhaps were “not as effective as expected.” The F1-free Friday could be beneficial for making adjustments, possibly reverting to the morning setups.

🎙️ « I feel comfortable, the base seems good, but there is work to be done here and there. »
Our drivers summarize their Thursday at the #MonacoGP.
👉 https://t.co/Kln4SreKGm#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/zASklW5u4k

— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) 23 May 2019

Not much damage on the track!

In any case, these two free sessions took place without a red flag, which is quite exceptional to note. The drivers still played with the limits, particularly in the bumpy first turn of Sainte-Dévote, or in the esses of the Piscine. For his part, Robert Kubica treated us to a slide in the Mirabeau descent, without major damage. An opportunity to stand out differently than through a ranking that is always necessarily challenging, at the bottom of the table with his teammate George Russell.

Finally, Saturday’s qualifying session shouldn’t worry the bookmakers if the weather stays nice. If Hamilton and Bottas have a head start, it will be interesting to see how far behind Verstappen will be. The Red Bulls are clearly the spicy element of this round in Monaco: Can Gasly surpass the two Ferraris? Will Albon confirm Thursday afternoon’s promises? Will both Renaults return to the top 10? All these questions will be answered around 4pm this Saturday!

From our special correspondent in Monaco