Monaco – Qualifying: Ricciardo tops the Mercedes!

Before the start of qualifying, the suspense was more widespread than expected. In each free practice session, a different single-seater (a Mercedes, a Red Bull, and a Ferrari) had set the fastest time. Of course, the two Mercedes were still the favorites. But during the third free practice session, Sebastian Vettel, with a fantastic lap and first in the session, and Daniel Ricciardo, less than two-tenths behind, were serious challengers. Max Verstappen, who did not benefit from the improved Renault Power Unit, and Kimi Räikkönen seemed to be more off the pace. Even before the session began, it was announced that the Finn would face a five-place grid penalty following a gearbox change. The secondary positions would likely be distributed among the Toro Rosso and Force India teams, surprisingly competitive this Saturday, unlike McLaren and Williams.

All the drivers went out on ultra-soft tires, the famous purple tires brought for the first time by Pirelli. Felipe Nasr had not yet completed a lap when his Saturday came to an early end. The Ferrari engine of his Sauber went up in smoke. The Brazilian didn’t have the reflex to stop quickly and left some oil on the track, particularly at the exit of the tunnel, the most dangerous part of the circuit. Consequently, the red flag was deployed. Felipe Nasr will therefore start in last position the following afternoon: the guarantee of a princely ordeal.

In ultra-soft tires, most drivers decided to warm up their tires for two laps. Clocked at 295.8 km/h at the tunnel exit, Hamilton took the lead position with a 1’14″831, Rosberg following at 42 thousandths. With eight minutes left in the session, Sebastian Vettel, however, improved his morning performance to outpace the Mercedes with a 1’14″610.

From the Capitol to the Tarpeian rail… Five minutes before the end of the session, while he was only on his first flying lap, Max Verstappen attacked too aggressively. While Daniil Kvyat managed to avoid disaster at Anthony Noghès a few minutes earlier, Max Verstappen couldn’t avoid the crash and hit the barriers at the swimming pool section. The Dutchman will thus start second to last, which severely compromises his chances. His victory in the previous Grand Prix, in Spain, certainly shields him from criticism. But here is the young prodigy already brought back down to earth. In the garage, Helmut Marko scowled. The Red Bull is competitive in Monaco, but the Austrian team was already leaving hopes along the way.

The battle for positions was in full swing at the bottom of the rankings, particularly for the drivers who, due to the two red flags, had not yet been able to set a time, like Fernando Alonso. The two Renaults and Marcus Ericsson were engaged in a long-distance duel to avoid being eliminated in Q1. In this contest, Marcus Ericsson and Jolyon Palmer were the two who didn’t make it, accompanied, of course, by the two Manor cars, with Haryanto ahead of Wehrlein on a driver’s circuit.

Eliminated in Q1: Ericsson, Palmer, Haryanto, Wehrlein, Verstappen, Nasr.

As in Q1, a large number of drivers decided to complete two warm-up laps at the start of the session, which led to many white flags being deployed. From the outset, Lewis Hamilton sent a message to Nico Rosberg with a very swift 1’14’056, the absolute record of the weekend at that point. However, the German responded at the end of the session by beating his teammate’s time by 13 milliseconds.

A little further down the standings, the Toro Rossos showcased their form by securing their place in Q3 early in the session. More in difficulty, and perhaps affected morally by his five-place grid penalty, Kimi Räikkönen even struggled to get the better of the little bulls.

After a lap where he took numerous risks, Romain Grosjean still couldn’t do better than twelfth place. His Haas showed improvement compared to the Spanish race, but it probably lacked the potential to reach Q3, even after Max Verstappen’s elimination. Facing competitiveness issues as well, both Williams cars suffered from numerous balance problems with their single-seaters. More spirited, Force India and McLaren engaged in a fierce battle for the few coveted spots in Q3.

Just before the end of the session, Nico Rosberg returned to the track, not to improve his time, but to check if everything was in order with his car. The Monaco resident had indeed brushed the rails at the pool.

At the end of this Q2, we could note the solid performances of Toro Rosso and Force India. Fernando Alonso, despite obvious oversteer problems, managed to get his McLaren into Q3. Finally, it was necessary to applaud the success of Esteban Gutierrez, who outpaced his teammate Romain Grosjean on Saturday for the first time this season. As for Kevin Magnussen, an investigation by the stewards for failing to respect the lights in the pits added to the disappointment of pure performance.

Important detail: among the leaders, only Daniel Ricciardo had set his time on super-soft tires. The Australian would therefore start on super-soft tires the next day. A good idea before the start? The arrival of rain, likely during the race, would call into question all strategies anyway.

Eliminated in Q2: Bottas, Guttiérez, Button, Massa, Grosjean, Magnussen.

Q3 had barely started when another misfortune already struck the unfortunate Lewis Hamilton! Let down by his power unit, the Mercedes driver had to be brought back to the garage by his mechanics. Once again, the reliability of the Mercedes Power Unit was on the hot seat. The Mercedes, threatened by Red Bull and Ferrari this weekend, were undoubtedly pushed to their limits. But fortunately, all was not lost for Hamilton, who was able to get back on track with six minutes remaining in the session.

Very aggressive, Daniel Ricciardo set a very impressive lap in 1’13’622. The Ferraris of Vettel and Räikkönen followed a full second behind. Meanwhile, Nico Rosberg was on a charge and recorded the fastest first sector. The German driver, although he seemed very comfortable in the streets where he grew up, fell short by three-tenths of a second from the Australian, who was then in provisional pole position! Could Red Bull be on track for its first pole of the season? However, both men still had one more attempt…

The miracle man of Q3, Lewis Hamilton, wanted to maximize his chances by completing two warm-up laps. Once underway, the Englishman set the record for the first sector. The suspense was at its peak. But he lost everything in the final sector, achieving only the third fastest time! His teammate Nico Rosberg also failed to beat Daniel Ricciardo. And so it was a Red Bull Renault that secured a magnificent pole, with Daniel Ricciardo delivering a legendary lap, the first of his Formula 1 career.

The Ferraris ultimately proved incapable of joining the Red Bull-Mercedes fight. “The car is getting worse and worse,” Sebastian Vettel complained angrily over his radio. Kimi Räikkönen was even outpaced by a brilliant Nico Hülkenberg, who finished 5th. In 7th place, Carlos Sainz again finished ahead of Daniil Kvyat, who was 9th.