The performance of Charles Leclerc in Monaco GP practice was impressive, and the data supports his strong form.
Friday’s free practice day at the Monaco Grand Prix left us with two very close sessions with the drivers pushing hard from minute one.
The teams made an effort to maximize their track time and push their drivers to the limits in order to prepare for Saturday’s crucial qualifying session on the circuit.
Monaco GP data: Ferrari hold early edge with Charles Leclerc practice performance
As fans, we were left with a great sense of anticipation after Friday’s Monaco GP. Although there wasn’t any extraordinary on-track action, we were excited about what Saturday might bring.
Because the cars are so closely matched, it appears that the drivers will be the determining factor in the battle for pole position, given how they have pushed their cars to their absolute limits.
Among all the drivers, Charles Leclerc has been the reference this Friday in Monte Carlo.
The Ferrari driver felt very comfortable with the SF-24 on the streets of his home and seems to be the best placed driver for pole tomorrow.
Since FP1, he has been continuously improving and becoming more successful. He has been pushing the boundaries by taking risks during his fastest laps and giving it his all to surpass Max Verstappen’s pole time of 2023 by a mere 0.087s.
The Ferrari’s exceptional stability on both the front and rear end has made this achievement possible. Both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz smoothly sailed through the first green light without requiring any significant set-up adjustments and managed to accumulate a substantial amount of valuable running time. To be precise, the Monégasque completed a total of 70 laps during the two-hour free practice session.
Max Verstappen, another driver who pushed himself to the extreme, had a daring moment in FP2 when he even made contact with the wall while exiting Mirabeau Bas.
Furthermore, his performance in Sector 2 and Sector 3 was hindered by traffic on several of his flying laps, impeding him from successfully assembling a strong outcome following his initial endeavor with the soft tires.
During FP2, the Dutchman voiced his dissatisfaction with the car’s excessive bouncing, likening it to a “kangaroo.”
Similar to Imola, Red Bull’s start to the weekend has not been perfect. However, just like last week, there is still a possibility that the current World Champion could make a sudden comeback and reclaim the leading position tomorrow.
By comparing the fastest laps of Leclerc and Verstappen, it becomes evident that the delta remains quite consistent during the first half of the lap, with only variations influenced by their distinct driving styles.
Verstappen experienced the greatest time setback in the tunnel, where he surrendered approximately one-tenth of a second to the Ferrari driver as a result of a slower maximum speed.
While it is indeed correct that top speed holds less significance in Monaco, with drivers rarely utilizing eighth gear, it is evident that employing a more cautious engine map, as observed in the Milton Keynes team with reduced maximum revs on the telemetry, is noticeable.
The delta has significantly increased as we reached the end of Sector 2 and Sector 3, navigating through various twists and turns.
According to Verstappen, the Red Bull car appears to be skittish when navigating the kerbs, and the mechanical issue it’s facing cannot be easily resolved by adjusting the setup. Verstappen clarified on F1 TV that such issues are inherent to the car’s design and cannot be swiftly altered, leaving them stuck with it.
More key reading from the Monaco GP weekend so far
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“We will make some improvements, although I do not anticipate any miraculous changes.”
“Ferrari is far ahead, so I’m not even considering that for tomorrow.”
“I simply aim to address and resolve the current issues we are facing, making it a more manageable situation. Afterward, we can evaluate the outcome, although I don’t anticipate any miraculous solutions.”
Despite Ferrari having a better starting position, the gap between them and the other teams is not expected to be significantly large tomorrow.
In summary, Ferrari appears to be more consistent overall, yet it remains challenging to gauge the true impact of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc until Red Bull realizes their full potential.
Tomorrow is set to be an intriguing day, with the pole position battle wide open. As of now, Ferrari and Leclerc have successfully laid the initial groundwork for success.
Read next: Lewis Hamilton praises ‘best day we’ve had’ after ‘strong’ Monaco practice showing
