Leclerc fastest but cautious about Monaco chances

Monaco Grand Prix

Dates: 23 May 2019 Start time: 14:00 BST on Sunday

Despite participating in both Friday practice sessions, Charles Leclerc said he was still unsure whether Ferrari would be able to compete at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Leclerc finished the day 0.038 seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri, the current world champion, with Lewis Hamilton coming in third.

He claimed that his chances of winning the race at home last year were “low” before the practice began.

Even after a strong performance on time, he continued, “I’m not convinced the other way around, for now. It will be difficult.

Although the Friday was very positive for us, it is too early to express how optimistic the weekend is.

Oliver Bearman, a British Haas driver who crashed for Piastri, overtook Carlos Sainz for the Williams of Carlos Sainz at the weekend with a 10-place grid penalty.

Leclerc veered into the Ferrari’s path during a slow lap before heading into Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.

Leclerc was able to continue driving despite the Ferrari’s front wing being damaged. However, Stroll was unable to continue participating in the session because his gearbox needed to be changed and his rear suspension had to be repaired.

For his lack of awareness, the Canadian received a one-place grid penalty.

Leclerc said, “I’ve been enjoying the car a lot.” With the crash with Lance, it hasn’t started the way I wanted, but it has since been fairly smooth and I’m happy with the car overall.

The one-lap pace was fast,” she said. I was feeling quite at ease with the compound, and lap time was fairly quick. This is always a positive sign.

“Qualifying is going to be fundamental, and we need to start early if we want to get a good result.”

Piastri, who crashed into the barrier at the first corner, Sainte Devote, before breaking his front wing, came out on top in the race to finish second.

On a positive day for the Italian team, Hamilton was 0.105secs clear of Leclerc.

The day has been a little up and down, according to Piastri. The pace is good when everything is put together, but it’s not currently that simple. Some things to consider.

It has been a messy day, especially for me. Because of the car’s current pace, schedule a timeout for tomorrow.

Ferrari appear to be much stronger than they have been in this regard. Today, it has been a lot more complicated on my side. There is a lot to learn, and I think tomorrow will be interesting.

The coolest track to drive, Hamilton declared. the funniest. It’s a blast every year. Whatever vehicle you’re driving is irrelevant.

“Of course, it helps when you’re driving a quick, comfortable car. However, it has the best rollercoaster ride of the year thanks to the grip, the speeds, it’s narrow, it’s fast, and it’s a privilege.

I texted Ellen, who has worked as my assistant for 20 years, this morning, and she said she was so excited for the day that she could not believe I still be able to do this every year.

Lando Norris of McLaren was fourth fastest, 0.32 seconds off the pace, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, both of whom suffered two crashes in the second session.

Hadjar’s initial encounter caused him to smash into the wall at the Nouvelle Chicane’s top. He made it up with a wheel damage and a puncture.

However, after a Sainte Devote oversteering moment, he slid wide and broke his left rear suspension.

Fernando Alonso, a teammate of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, led Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, and Williams’ Alex Albon, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who was seventh fastest when managing technical partner Adrian Newey made his debut grand prix appearance.

The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix winner from last Sunday had a troubled session. Verstappen sabotaged the pace and even went down the escape route at Mirabeau late in the session.

Verstappen remarked, “P1 was quite positive, but we later made some adjustments for P2 to see how far we could push the balance, and we slightly overdid it.”

“So then I just couldn’t really attack the corners any more,” he said, and you’re shadowing a lot of pace and failing to pass the lap time.

“I don’t anticipate us to be the quickest,” he said. However, we want to be significantly more similar to P2. I’m also fairly certain that things will get better.

Ferrari appears to be moving very quickly once more. Ferrari made a significant step forward in this regard despite the close proximity of the McLarens.