Lance Stroll discovers the reality of the Monaco track
Lance Stroll's first encounter with the Monegasque track was a close call. It ended in a meeting with the rail in FP2. Felipe Massa, for his part, had a fairly « ordinary » day for a Thursday in Monaco.
From a general standpoint, Williams is outside the Top 10 at the end of the first day of testing in the Principality of Monaco. A circuit that has never truly favored the Grove-based car, with a fourteenth and fifteenth place in 2015, and a tenth and twelfth position in 2016 at the end of the race.
This day was dedicated to discovery for the drivers – behind the wheel of their new single-seaters on one hand – and the debut of the Canadian behind the wheel in the streets of Monaco, on the other hand.
Lance Stroll: FP1 => 16th (1:15.959 / 43 laps) / FP2 => 16th (1:14.474 / 27 laps)
The rookie’s first steps were closely watched on the Monaco circuit, which forgives no mistakes. Lance Stroll was able to verify this for himself during FP2. He made an error between Massenet and the Casino. His session ended as he was getting closer to Felipe Massa’s time by four-tenths (compared to more than a second between the two drivers this morning). The reigning Formula 3 champion can lean on the famous adage that says you learn by making mistakes.
Nevertheless, he took some positives from the day, even feeling comfortable behind the wheel of his car: “The track is fantastic and I was happy with the car. But then there was the crash at the end (of FP2). I was mainly focusing on finding the limit. I was on a slightly dirtier part and lost the rear. It was typically a street circuit mistake. I quickly managed to learn the circuit and was pleased with my day until that moment.”
Another positive point for the Montreal native is the tire performance: What’s good here is that the tires seem to hold up better, so we are able to do several full-speed laps.
Lance Stroll now awaits the third free practice session, in order to correct his difficulties, which seem recurrent in reality as well as virtually…: « For FP3, I will capitalize on my pace in this sector. I think I clearly know in my head what was wrong. I will focus on the small areas where I can improve for Saturday. I think turn 8 and the last one are the two places where I need to improve. Also, it annoys me because every time I play on the PlayStation, it’s always these two turns that I struggle with. It’s the same in reality. »
WATCH: Lance Stroll hits the barriers during FP2 at the #MonacoGP 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/oooXumeMov
— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 mai 2017
Felipe Massa: FP1 => 11th (1:14.617 / 36 laps) / FP2 => 13th (1:14.003 / 45 laps)
On the Brazilian veteran’s side, the day was calmer. Even though the performance wasn’t as expected, the Paulista recounts his day: « Today was a typical day for a first day in Monaco. We had to try to understand different things: the tires, the balance, and attempt to get used to the track with the new cars and rules. But today (Thursday) is always a day of learning. »
Despite this relative wisdom, the Williams driver was not the most satisfied with the scoreboard: Content is probably not the correct word to describe this day because we are not in a great position, but we are a bit better than we were in the past on this track.
Felipe Massa is aware that everything will be extremely close in qualifying, given the tight times (less than a tenth separates the tenth and fifteenth time in FP2): « This will definitely be a big fight with the teams around us. We will do everything we can, and I hope that we will be able to fully understand everything to improve and be ready for qualifying on Saturday. »
