Romain Grosjean was hampered by the Mercedes and missed out on Q3

In Monaco, the qualifying sessions are the most important part of the weekend as they are crucial for the final race result. However, traffic plays an even more significant role here than on other tracks since all drivers try to set a time simultaneously.

But in this little game, some lose out. During these qualifications, it was Romain Grosjean who fell victim, while he believes he had the potential to make it to Q3, after finishing 8th in Q1: « We had the speed to make it to Q3. We showed it in Q1. But there was traffic twice on my out laps in Q2. We came out behind the Mercedes, who were going slowly, and I got caught out. If the tires had been ready for the first timed lap, everything would have been fine but they really needed to be warm. »

The French driver explains that the difference in configuration of the world champion single-seaters trapped him: « Mercedes has more aerodynamic downforce than everyone else. They were therefore going slower, whereas I needed to go faster during my out laps. It wasn’t easy. Traffic is part of the game, but I came out twice in exactly the same group of cars, and that didn’t help us. »

Far from these problems, Esteban Gutierrez managed to stand out by securing the 12th fastest time of the session: « I am very happy today. It’s a positive day. At the beginning, I struggled to make the tires work properly. With each stint, I tried adjustments and adapted to the circumstances. In the end, everything went well. Starting in 12th position in Monte Carlo, a lot can happen in front. »