Formula 1 returns to Monte Carlo this week as Max Verstappen looks to break Ayrton Senna’s record of ninth pole position in a row. The Dutchman would be favorite for yet another victory given the recent form of Red Bull at the Monaco Grand Prix as the Milton Keynes outfit have been victorious in last three races at Monaco with Max winning in 2021 & 2023 and his team mate Sergio Perez victorious in 2022.
The weekend kicked off on Friday with seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton topping the timing charts in an interrupted FP1. The session was red flagged when Zhou Guanyu thumped into the wall with 15 minutes left. Hamilton ended the session with a time of 1:12.169 with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in 2nd. Hamilton’s team mate George Russell completed the top three.
The local hero Charles Leclerc was the fastest in FP2 with a time of 1:11.278 as the flag fell. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were second and third respectively. The Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez continued to struggle around the streets of Monaco with Max finishing in 4th (1:11.813) and Perez down in 8th (1.22.099).
Saturday’s qualifying would be pivotal ahead of the race on Sunday as the pole position holder more often than not ends up on the top of the podium on the race day. After Red Bull’s struggles on Friday Verstappen was quick to address the issues. “It’s the worst possible outcome of the weekend so far, though. Certain bumps and kerbstones were impossible for us to take” said the Red Bull driver.
Verstappen is currently leading the drivers championship with a lead of 48 points over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. This lead is significant given that only seven rounds are finished in this year’s Formula 1 season. Red Bull Racing are leading the Constructor’s championship with 268 points.
Norris confident of Monaco despite recent struggles
McLaren have not been the biggest fans of the Monaco’s low speed circuit in recent years but Lando Norris believes that they would once again be challenging at the front. After McLaren’s heroics in Miami and Imola, things do not go according to the plan on Friday as Norris finished fourth in FP1 and fifth in FP2 with timings of 1.12.396 and 1.11.953 respectively. His team mate Oscar Piastri was P2 in FP1 and 12th FP2. But knowing that McLaren did not use their preferred set of tyres and mostly did their laps on used red rubber softs, they would definitely be challenging for the podium places going into Saturday’s qualifying.
After Friday’s practice session Norris said: “I think we are not bad at all. It’s always tricky around here so first of all it’s nice to be back driving around this track, because it’s as chaotic as it always is and as difficult as it always is. I think it’s a reasonable first day“
Monaco Grand Prix qualifying will begin 4 PM local time on Saturday and race will be on 3 PM on Sunday.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
