Monaco – Qualifications: Charles Leclerc at home
Charles Leclerc remains the master of qualifying. This third pole position in as many sessions has a very special flavor for the native of the Principality.
Due to the narrowness of the Monaco track, the F2 qualifications were split into two groups, with cars numbered even in the first group and odd in the second.
The local hero, Charles Leclerc, with his number 1, was therefore part of this first group. However, the session did not start in the best way since he stalled in the pit lane when setting off for his first stint. Although he was able to restart immediately, it triggered an investigation by the FIA at the end of the session.
Far from these considerations, the protege of the Ferrari Driver Academy immediately mobilized to achieve the first significant lap. But his time did not withstand the challenge from Sergio Canamasas and Nobuharu Matsushita. Charles Leclerc was only able to reclaim his property less than two minutes from the checkered flag, despite a huge drift at the first corner and brushing the wall in the tunnel!
But as he was then going to declare in a press conference, the hardest part then began, namely to wait for the second group to go, with the possibility of being beaten for the first time this season: « I got scared being in the first group and knowing that Alex was in the second group. So I am very, very happy with this pole position. » He knows the track even better as he lives between La Rascasse and Sainte-Dévote: « It’s a dream come true. »
He did, in fact, tremble until the end since Alex Albon, his main rival last year in GP3, got very close to his absolute reference, twelve hundredths to be precise. But the Thai driver could still console himself with a place on the front row which gives him good prospects for tomorrow’s race, particularly at the first corner.
Oliver Rowland will be on the lookout behind the two men, finishing third. But the Renault development driver knows he has a better chance of moving up through pit stops than at the start: « The first turn is a bit tricky. If you’re in second, you can try something. But being in third, it’s a bit hard to pass two cars at once. The pit stops will be interesting, especially if there are several cars in play. If I’m third, I could take the risk. It’s going to be an interesting race. »
Artem Markelov will start from fourth place on the grid. The Russian will precede Nobuharu Matsushita, who was the first victim of the raised kerbs in the chicane at the swimming pool and therefore hit the outside wall. The other local driver, Norman Nato, will start sixth since Nyck de Vries received a three-place penalty following his accident in Barcelona.
From our special correspondent in Monaco
